THE 



EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 



THE 



^nglo^a^on 



EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL; 



WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE 



BISHOPS OF CREDITOR 



E. H. PEDLER, Esq. 



LONDON: 
JOHN PETHERAM, 94, HIGH HOLBORN. 



MDCCCLVI. 



\ ^ 



^y 



LONDON : 

P. Pickton, Printer, 

Perry's Place. 29, Oxford Stkeet. 



5"t"5\ 



0-5, 



PREFACE. 



The following work was commenced with little expecta- 
tion of its being submitted to the public, especially in 
its present form. The Cornish Episcopate did not 
appear to possess sufficient interest for a separate 
publication. It happened, however, whilst the subject 
was undergoing investigation, that a proposition was 
advanced, and seriously entertained, of reviving this 
ancient Bishoprick, which induced the Author to believe 
that some curiosity would naturally arise to ascertain 
what is known of the See, as it existed in remote times. 
In the hope of supplying this information, he completed 
the work, and has committed it to the press. He is not, 
however, without apprehension that, by detaching the 
subject from a more general view of the County History, 
during the cotemporaneous period, and by presenting it 
only as a mere torso t an imperfect fragment of an age 
long since passed away, he has incurred the risk of 



IV PREFACE. 

weakening the evidences, and of rendering the argu- 
ments arising out of them, less convincing and con- 
clusive than they would otherwise have appeared. He 
has only to add, that from a desire^ that the work should 
be easily intelligible to the general reader, he has 
thought it right to introduce translations as well as 
explanatory matter, which, for the purposes of the 
professed antiquary, would be deemed unnecessary and 
out of place. 

Liskeakd, 31^ July, 1856, 



INTRODUCTION, 



The existence of a Bishoprick of Cornwall is a fact 
of so ancient a date as to be little known, excepting 
to the student of antiquity. It belongs exclusively to 
the Anglo-Saxon times. We may remember that our 
Anglo-Saxon progenitors crossed the German Ocean and 
colonized this country in the fifth and sixth centuries 
of our era. The circumstances attending this event, 
although of the greatest interest to us as Englishmen, 
are very imperfectly known ; and the little information 
we possess respecting them, is derived only through 
the untrustworthy channels of tradition. If we may 
believe the accounts transmitted to us, the colonists 
arrived in this island, in separate bodies, and at different 
periods of time, each band of adventurers having its 
own leader or chieftain, to whom, when they had settled 
down upon their newly acquired territories, they gave 
the title of " cyning," or king. It was thus that several 
independent principalities, or petty kingdoms, became 
established in the southern half of the island of 
Britain, and the destinies of the English nation may 
be said to have commenced. 



VI INTRODUCTION. 

The colonists who obtained the possession of the 
south-western districts of Britain, first located them- 
selves on the part of the country which now nearly 
corresponds with the county of Southampton. They 
were designated by the name of "The Gewissi," 1 and 
afterwards by that of "The West Saxons." Their 
colony was confined on the east and north by other 
settlements of their countrymen ; but on the west 
there intervened no obstacle to a further extension of 
their territory but the despised and pusillanimous 
Briton. On this side, by slow but sure steps, and 
not without many conflicts with the natives, the West 
Saxons continually advanced their settlements, until 
they finally extended their dominion to the farthest 
extremity of the Cornish peninsula. It was also the 
good fortune or the merit of this state, to acquire an 
ascendency over all the others, and, by fusing them 
together, to establish a single sovereignty over the whole 
of England. 

At the time of their first arrival in the island, these 
German immigrants were rude and unpolished barba- 
rians, ignorant alike of the arts of civilised life and of the 
truths of the Christian religion. In all these respects 
the inhabitants of Britain, whom they invaded and 
despoiled of their lands, enjoyed a striking superiority : 
an advantage which they had acquired from the teach- 

1 " G-e" is generally redundant in the Anglo-Saxon; "wissi" or "visi" is 
identical with " west." Thus the Ostrogothi and Yisigothi are the Eastern and 
Wrptern (xothp. 



INTRODUCTION. Vll 

ing of their Roman masters. It has been imputed to 
them as a crime, by one of their own countrymen, that 
they omitted to impart to their Saxon invaders a know- 
ledge of the true faith ; but the active hostilities which 
for many ages separated the two races, may have been 
an insurmountable obstacle to the fulfilment of this 
duty. The omission was, however, supplied from 
another and a far distant quarter. A ray of the divine 
light, emanating from Rome, fell upon the benighted 
intelligences of those untutored sons of adventure. It 
was favourably received, and in process of time the 
religion of the Cross triumphed over Anglo-Saxon 
idolatry. 

The conversion of the West Saxons was effected by 
the preaching of Birinus, 1 a Roman missionary, and on 
embracing Christianity, they established a bishoprick at 
Dorchester, near Oxford, of which Birinus was the first 
prelate ; and presently afterwards a second at Winches- 
ter, their principal town. West Saxony, at that period, 
was of no great extent, and two sees were sufficient for 
its wants. But as its territories became enlarged, there 
were added the bishopricks of Sherborne, Wilts, Wells, 
Crediton, and finally of Cornwall. This distinction of 
possessing a separate episcopacy, Cornwall was not des- 
tined to enjoy for any permanency. After the lapse it may 
be of somewhat more than a century, at a time when a 
foreign priesthood filled the ranks of the English Church, 

1 See Chronological Table in the Appendix. 



Vlll INTRODUCTION. 

and at the instigation of a foreign prelate who then oc- 
cupied the episcopal throne, it was brought to a close. 
The Cornish and Devon dioceses were united into one, 
and the seat of the bishop was established at Exeter. 
With the causes which led to this change we are but im- 
perfectly acquainted ; the reasons assigned for it appear 
inadequate and unsatisfactory; and the purity of the 
motive is not without suspicion. But whether the measure 
was defensible or not at that time, there is an opinion 
that the exigencies of the present day demand its rever- 
sal ; and after eight hundred years of acquiescence, Par- 
liament will probably be called on to reconsider its policy, 
and to vindicate the wisdom of our Anglo-Saxon fore- 
fathers, by restoring to Cornwall its separate episcopacy. 
The ordinance by which its abolition was effected, is pre- 
served in a contemporary record, or royal charter, the 
contents of which are well known, and will be submitted 
in the following work. Like other instruments of that 
kind, it possibly partook of the nature of a legislative 
and parliamentary act of that period ; and it is a remark- 
able circumstance, and one which well illustrates the 
continuous and unbroken current of our national fortunes, 
that, notwithstanding its great antiquity, this document 
might still be appealed to, as the authority for the law 
which it is now proposed to rescind. Not that we sup- 
pose it necessary for Parliament to notice it in dealing 
with this subject, for its extreme age so greatly transcends 
the limits practically assigned to our written laws, that 



INTRODUCTION- IX 

its enactments will doubtlessly be regarded as a portion 
of the unwritten or common law of the land. 

Although the termination of the Cornish Episcopate 
is distinctly brought before us, by historical and other 
records, the time and circumstances of its commence- 
ment, the prelates who presided over it, and its other 
incidents, are all subjects more or less involved in the 
obscurity which envelops that early portion of our 
national history ; increased probably by the remoteness 
and secondary importance of the locality. The evidences 
which relate to it are mostly of an unconnected and frag- 
mentary character. They require to be gleaned from 
many sources; their variances to be reconciled; and their 
import to be ascertained, by comparing them with each 
other, or with the general history of the times. An 
attempt has been made in the following work to accom- 
plish this object ; to bring together all the material 
testimonies which are known to exist; and so to place 
them before the reader, that he may be enabled to exer- 
cise his own judgment on all points of doubt or con- 
troversy. And, although the task may not have been 
executed with all the completeness of which it is suscep- 
tible, the writer is not without a hope that the succeed- 
ing pages may be of some service to those who desire to 
investigate this obscure portion of local history. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Introduction ...,,,..,., v 

Chapter I. — Commencement of the subject — Two heads of inquiry — 
Names of Prelates— Place of the See — Cornish See asserted by William 
of Malmesbury to hare commenced a.d. 904, and -ZEthelstan the first 
bishop, proved an error — -Various authorities quoted for this purpose 
— Previous difficulties removed by correcting this error — Other 
bishops : Buruhwold, iEthelstan, Ealdred, Conan — Bishop Godwine's 
list of bishops not satisfactorily established — Additional names from 
the Bodmin Book of the Gospels — Some account of this document . 1 

Chapter II. — Evidence derived from the Manumissions recorded in the 
Bodmin Book of the Gospels — Table comparing it with the evidence 
of the Charters — Bishops iEthelgeard, Comoere, Wulfsige, in the time 
of Duke Ordgar — iEthelstan — Account of Duke Ordgar — The story 
of Eadgar and iElfrytha from Geoffrey Gaimar's Chronicle — Bishops 
iEthelred, Buruhwold, in the time of Duke iEthelwserd, and Abbat 
Germanus— An account of the Duke and the Abbat — These Bishops 
not Chorepiscopi, as supposed . . . .-""••. . . .23 

Chapter III. — Buruhwold not the last of the Cornish Bishops, as usually 
stated — Lyving and Leofrick to be considered Bishops of this see — 
An account of Bishop Lyving and of Bishop Leofrick — His Charter 
or Will — Termination of the Cornish See, a.d. 1050 — List of the 
Cornish Bishops, with the authorities — The Crediton Bishops — List 
of them compiled from the Charters — Observations thereon . . 45 

Chapter IV.— The Place of the Cornish See according to modern and 
ancient authorities — St. Germans or St. Petrock's — Dispute as to the 
site of the latter — WhetherBodmin or Pads tow— Proved to be Bodmin 
— The Bodmin Monastery resting on historic testimony — That at 
Padstow solely on conjecture — Evidences in favour of each view — 
Story of the body of St. Petrock clandestinely removed from Bodmin 
and taken to France — Again restored — Padstow not the ancient name . 59 

Chapter V. — Place of the See continued — Testimonies adduced — Inqui- 
sition temp. Edw. III. — Charter of King iEthelred, annexing Saint 
Petrock's to the See of Saint Germans — Charter of King Cnut — 
Charter of King Eadward, uniting the Cornish and Devon Bishopricks, 
and See removed to Exeter, a.d. 1050— Possibly a joint See of Saint 
Germans and Saint Petrock's — Eelation of the Bishop to the Monas- 
tery — Transfer of its Lands on the removal of the See — Those of Saint 
Germans divided— No part of Saint Petrock's Estates transferred — 
Leland's authority — Evidence of the Manumissions as to the See not 
conclusive as assumed by Mr. D. Gilbert — Recapitulation, . . 75 



xu 



CONTENTS. 



• PAGE 

Chaptek VI. — Commencement of the Cornish See — involved in obscurity 
— not easily accounted for — The silence of the Bodleian MS. respect- 
ing it — from what cause — Difficulties explained by supposing the See 
to be of British foundation — Reasons assigned for the removal to 
Exeter — somewhat questionable — prejudicial to the Cornish — Evi- 
dence from Architectural Eemains — at Bodmin — at St. Germans — Cud- 
denbeake stated to have been the Bishop's Palace — Conclusion , 96 



No. 
I. 

II. 

III. 

IV. 

V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XI. 

XII. 



APPENDIX, 



King iEthelstan's Gift of Eelics to Saint Mary and Saint Peter's 



Monastery at Exeter 
King ^Ethelred's Charter 
King Cnut's Charter . 
King Eadward's Charter 
Bishop Leofrick's Charter 
The Bodleian MS. 
Table of Eorls of Devon 
Charter of King Henry III. 
Inquisition temp. Edward III 
Proceedings against the Prior of Bodmin 
King iEthelstan's Charter relating to the See of Crediton 



. 115 
. 119 
. 126 
. 130 

'. 136 
. 141 
. 151 
. 152 
. 154 
. 157 
. 161 



The Grants by King Eadward to Duke JEthelweard j and by King 

iEthelstan to Saint Petrock's Monastery .... 165 



XIII. Chronological Table ......... 169 



Index 



171 



THE 

ANGLO-SAXON EPISCOPATE OE CORNWALL 

CHAPTER I. 

Commencement of the subject — Two heads of inquiry : 1. Names of the Cornish 
Prelates. 2. Place of their see — The Cornish see said by William of Malnies- 
bury to have been created a.d. 904, and iEthelstan the first prelate, proved 
to be an error — Various authorities quoted for this purpose — Previous difficul- 
ties removed by correcting this error — Other bishops : Buruhwold, iEthelstan, 
Ealdred, Conan — Bishop Godwine's list of bishops not satisfactorily esta- 
blished — Additional 'prelates disclosed by the Bodmin book of the Gospels 
— Some account of this document. 

It is universally admitted that the county of Cornwall, 
in the Anglo-Saxon period, constituted a separate eccle- 
siastical diocese, and that it continued to enjoy this dis- 
tinction almost down to the time of the Norman Conquest. 
It is also generally asserted in our county histories, that 
Cornwall was first erected into an episcopal see by King 
Eadward the elder, a.d. 904 ; but we believe it will be 
in our power to show that this assertion has been made 
on insufficient grounds, and is not entitled to command 
our assent. Indeed we are not aware that there is any 
historic evidence which distinctly informs us when this 
bishoprick was created ; and the absence of it — since it 
is nowhere accounted for — is deserving of remark. It 
not only leaves u^ in a state of uncertainty with regard 
to the origin of the episcopate, but induces a surmise that 
it must have existed under some peculiar and anomalous 

B 



^ THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

circumstances. There is, however, no such uncertainty 
respecting its extinction, which was occasioned by the 
Cornish and Devon dioceses being united into one ; upon 
which the seat of the bishop was established at Exeter, 
where it has remained to this day. This event occurred 
in the reign of King Eadward the Confessor, a.d. 1050, 
just sixteen years antecedently to the Norman Conquest. 
The darkness of the age to which the Cornish epis- 
copate belongs, and the great interval of time which 
separates us from it, conspire to render our view of it 
indistinct and obscure. Such vestiges of its existence as 
have survived to our own day, are neither very numerous 
nor of great significance : indeed little more has come 
down to us, to satisfy our curiosity, than a few brief 
notices and occasional allusions, which may be found 
scattered over the pages of ancient chroniclers, or pre- 
served in contemporary records. In this dearth of in- 
formation under which it is our misfortune to labour, it 
will not be expected that we should produce a perfect 
and unbroken history of this ancient bishoprick, or even 
that we should furnish any account of it having the 
semblance of a history ; all that we can undertake is, to 
adduce such casual and unconnected testimonies respect- 
ing it, as have been discovered in the works of ancient 
writers, and other records of antiquity • to reduce them 
into chronological order ; and to supply such explanatory 
observations as may render their import more intelligible, 
or throw light upon the main subject of the inquiry. 
And if the result, from its incompleteness, should disap- 
point expectation, we can only lament that the memory 
of past events, in common with whatever belongs to 
humanity, should have been doomed to fade and pass 
away. But it is hoped that the views which we shall 
obtain of the transactions of a remote age — transient and 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 3 

superficial as such views must necessarily be — will not 
be wholly uninstructive or without interest. Occasionally 
there will be brought under our notice, modes of think- 
ing and acting, and a condition of society, in striking 
contrast with such as are now familiar to us : and espe- 
cially we shall have occasion to observe the all-pervading 
influence of the Church ; conspicuous not only within 
her own sphere, but in the solemn formularies of the 
law, and in the ordinary dealings of every-day life. The 
peculiar position too in which Cornwall was then placed, 
with regard to the rest of England, will not pass un- 
noticed ; inhabited as it was by a surviving remnant of 
the old Celtic race, w T hich, after ages of resistance, had 
but recently submitted to English rule. And although it 
would not be consistent with the plan of this work to 
advert, but incidentally, to these various topics, we may 
nevertheless hope that they will occasionally supply 
matter for reflection, and compensate, in some degree, 
for the few facts it is in our power to produce in illus- 
tration of the principal subject. 

The purpose then which we have in view, of collecting 
such historical notices of the Cornish Episcopate as have 
escaped oblivion, and of presenting them in the succeed- 
ing pages, will, we believe, be best accomplished by pur- 
suing an inquiry under the two following heads : — Eirst, 
the names of the Prelates who presided over the Cornish 
diocese; and secondly, the place of their See. Both 
branches of the inquiry have already given occasion to 
some controversy : for our early historians having omitted 
to inform us of the names of the Cornish bishops ; this 
omission, modern investigators, with much industry and 
no little variance amongst themselves, have endeavoured 
to supply. And with regard to the see ; although we are 
sufficiently assured that previously to the union of the 



4 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

Devon bishoprick with that of Cornwall, the prelates of 
the former were seated at Crediton, 1 history has nowhere 
informed us, with any exactness, where the see of the 
Cornish prelates was placed ; and the opinions of recent 
times have been divided, in maintaining the respective 
claims of St. Germans and Bodmin to this distinction. 
These two subjects of controversy we now propose to 
examine ; and our first inquiry will be, to ascertain who 
were the bishops that presided over the see. 

The earliest writer to whom we can have recourse for 
information, is Florence of Worcester, who wrote his 
Chronicle shortly after the Norman Conquest, and, con- 
sequently, at no very long period after the consolida- 
tion of the two sees ; indeed that event may possibly 
have occurred in his own lifetime. 2 This author has left 
us the names of the Crediton bishops ; but he gives us 
no such information respecting the Cornish episcopate, 
although he briefly adverts to the circumstance of its 
union with that of Devon in tbe reign of Eadward the 
Confessor. The next authority which we can call to our 
aid, is the Chronicle of William of Malmesbury, who 
in early life was a contemporary of Florence ; 3 but the 
Chronicle of William is almost as deficient in informa- 
tion as that of the other historian. There is, however, a 
passage in his works, which has been usually thought to 
have reference to this subject, and which it is therefore 
incumbent upon us to adduce. 

When Beda brought his ecclesiastical history to a close, 
a.d. 731, there was no bishop in West Saxony seated 

1 According to Camden and Bishop Godwine, the see was first at Tawton, 
and soon afterwards was removed to Crediton. We are not aware upon what 
authority this assertion rests. 

2 Florence of Worcester died a.d. 1118. 

3 He is supposed to have been born about a.d. 1095 or 1096, and to have 
died about a.d. 1143. See Preface to Dr. Giles' translation, 1847. 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 

further west than Sherborne ; indeed, at that time the 
Saxon arms had probably not made very much progress 
to the westward of that city ■ but as the Saxons extended 
their conquests in that direction, and added new territory 
to their dominions, it became necessary to make further 
provision for the authority of the Church, by establish- 
ing bishopricks in the conquered provinces. It should 
seem, however, that the West Saxon monarchs had been 
neglectful of this duty to the Church • inasmuch as no 
additional bishopricks had been created so late as the 
reign of Eadward the elder — nearly two hundred years 
after the time of Beda. This omission appears the more 
remarkable, for, during this interval, the West Saxon 
settlements had spread over the whole of what is now 
called Devonshire, and had even passed the river Tamar, 
into Cornwall. We are told, that this neglect roused the 
anger of Pope Formosus ; and, in consequence of his 
menaces, King Eadward not only appointed bishops to 
the sees of Winchester and Sherborne, which he had 
allowed to be vacant, but on the same day he created 
five new episcopates. The story is told by William of 
Malmesbury, in the following passage, which, on account 
of its important bearing on our subject, we give entire, 
translated into English : — 

" But to return to our Eadward ; what in his time was 
commanded by Pope Formosus, respecting the renewal 
of the bishopricks, I think it will be entertaining to relate, 
and will, therefore, insert in the same words in which I 
found it recorded/' 1 

" In the year when, from the nativity of our Lord, 904 
years had been completed, Pope Formosus sent letters to 
England, pronouncing excommunication and malediction 

1 " Jucundum puto memoratu, itaque verbis eisdem quibus inveni script a 
interseram." 



THE EPISCOPATE OE CORNWALL. 

on King Eadward and all his subjects, instead of the 
benediction which the blessed Gregory had pronounced 
od the English nation, from the seat of Saint Peter. Eor 
during seven whole years had the entire district of the 
Gewisi, that is, of the West Saxons, been destitute of 
bishops. As soon as this was heard, King Eadward 
assembled a synod of the senators of the English nation, 
over which presided Pleimundus, Archbishop of Canter- 
bury, strictly interpreting the words of the legation. 
Then the King and Bishops took wholesome counsel for 
themselves and their people ; and, according to the word 
of the Lord, ' The harvest truly is plenteous, but the 
labourers are few/ they elected and appointed several 
bishops to the several provinces of the Gewisi ; and that 
which formerly was held by two, they divided into five. 
When the conference was over, the Archbishop proceeded 
to Rome with handsome presents, and appeased the Pope, 
with much humility, reciting the royal decree which was 
particularly pleasing to the apostolic personage. Having 
returned to this country, he, on one day, ordained at the 
city of Canterbury, seven bishops to seven churches : — 
Eridestan to the church of Winchester, Adelstan to that 
of Cornwall, Werstan to that of Sherborne, Adelelm to 
that of Wells, Edulf to that of Crediton. But, likewise, 
to the other provinces he appointed two bishops : to the 
South Saxons, Bernegus, a suitable person; and to the 
Mercians, Chenulf, at the city of Dorchester. 1 All which 
the Pope confirmed, so that whoever should subvert this 
decree should be punished everlastingly/' 2 

1 Dorchester bad, some time before, been severed from West Saxony, and 
made part of the kingdom of Mercia. 

2 " Redieus ad patriam in urbe Cantuaria uno die septem episcopos septem 
ecclesiis ordinavit. Eridestamun ad ecclesiam Wintoniensem, Adelstanum ad 
Cornubiensem, Werstanuni ad Schireburnensem, Adelelmum ad W T ellenseui, 
Edulfum ad Cridiensem." — Gul. de Malm. Gent. Reg. Angl. lib. ii. c. 5. 



NAMJBS OF THE BISHOPS. 7 

It is on the authority of this passage, that the Cornish 
episcopate has been generally assumed to have had its 
origin, a.d. 904, 1 in the reign of King Eadward the elder ; 
and that JEtheUtan was its first prelate. But this con- 
clusion, we must here at once observe, we cannot accept. 
The statement of the author, so far at least as it relates 
to Cornwall, we believe to be altogether erroneous. 

In controverting so eminent an authority as that of 
William of Malmesbury, and questioning a statement 
which has been very generally admitted into our county 
histories as an indisputable fact, we are conscious that we 
are exposing ourselves to a charge of precipitancy, if not 
of presumption, which renders it necessary to explain, at 
considerable length, the reasons by which we have been 
influenced. 

We do not rely on the gross anachronisms which 
some of our ablest antiquaries have pointed out in the 
above passage, which alone are sufficient to shake our 
faith in the story. 2 Nor do we lay great stress on the 
circumstance, that Cornwall is apparently named second 
in the series, when it would naturally have been the last. 
Both these points of exception undoubtedly have some 
degree of weight ; but our objection is of a different 
character, and assumes the correctness of the story of 
the appointment of the seven bishops in one day. 

1 Or, rather, in the 905th year of our era. 

2 Sir H. Spelman is of opinion, that if we suppose Fornaosus' name to hare 
crept into the text by mistake for Pope Leo V., the error of the passage would 
be cured. He says, "ISTon ego Tideo quin sana fiant omnia." But it is well 
known that there are other inaccuracies. Denulf Bishop of Winchester died 
A.D. 908, and Frithestan succeeded him a.d. 910. In the same year died Asser 
Bishop of Sherborne, who filled that see in the time of King JElfred. — Sax. 
Chron. These dates are wholly irreconcileable with the above story. But it 
appears from several charters, that the Winchester see was divided into two by 
King Eadward, in or shortly before the years 908-9, Frithestan being then the 
bishop ; also that Penulf was the bishop in 901. 



8 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

If we turn to the pages of the earlier chronicler, 
Florence of Worcester, we shall find the same story 
narrated there also, and in almost identical language ; but 
without mention of the Pope's letter. In Florence, how- 
ever, it is stated that Bishop iEthelstan was appointed, 
not to the Cornish see, but to the " Corvinensian " [ad 
Corvinensem]. 1 The Chronicle of William of Malmes- 
bury followed closely, in point of time, that of Florence ; 
but in relating the same transaction, this author, as we 
have seen, substitutes " Cornubiensian," or Cornish, for 
the " Corvinensian" of Florence. 2 It is here, we ap- 
prehend, that the Malmesbury historian has fallen into 
an error ; and his text, having unfortunately been accepted 
as a gloss upon that of Florence, has given occasion to 
the general belief that the two words referred to meant 
the same place. It will now be for us to show that they 
relate to different places. 

In the passage we have extracted from his works, it 
will be seen that William of Malmesbury declares his 
account to be inserted in the very words in which he 
found it written. Now, the same story will likewise be 

1 "Rex Anglorum, Eadwardus primus, et archipraesul Dorobernise, Pleig- 
mundus, salubri consilio invento, singulis tribubus Gfewissorum, singulos con- 
stituentes episcopos, singulis episcopia constituerunt ; et quod dudum duo habu- 
erunt, in V. diviserunt. Quibus gestis, Pleigmundus, in civitate Dorobernia, 
septem episcopos septem ecclesiis, in una die, consecravit, Frithestanum ad 
ecclesiam Wintoniensern,2Ethelstanum ad ecclesiam Corvinensem, Werstanum ad 
ecclesiam Scireburnensem, iEthilhelmum ad ecclesiam Fontanensem, Eadulfum 
ad ecclesiam Cridiatunensem, Australibus Saxonicis, Bernethum, et Merciis 
Australibus, Ceenuulfum, ad civitatem quse vocatur Dorceaster." 

This passage is not in the body of the Chronicle, but is among the lists of the 
bishops appended to it. It seems that it is found in all the most ancient MSS. 
of Florence, and no doubt is entertained of the genuineness of the passage, what- 
ever doubt there may be of the authenticity of the story. 

2 We had at first some suspicion that the text of William of Malmesbury had 
been corrupted ; but on referring to Mr. Hardy's new edition, we find nothing 
to warrant this suspicion. There are likewise other passages in this author 
wherein be ascribes the creation of the Cornish see to Eadward the elder. 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 9 

found related in a very ancient MS., which it is said was 
given to Exeter Cathedral by Leofrick, the first bishop 
of that see. It is now in the Bodleian Library, 1 and is 
printed in Dugdale's Monasticon. This account is much 
more detailed than that of William of Malmesbury ; but 
the latter, so far as it extends, is nearly in the selfsame 
words as those of the MS. It has been suggested, there- 
fore, by Mr. Hardy, the editor of the recent much-esteemed 
edition of this historian's works, that this was the source 
from whence he derived his information. Now, this MS., 
as the text is printed in Dugdale, 2 agrees with Florence 
in assigning iEthelstan "ad Corvinensem ecclesiam" 

There is likewise another account of this transaction, 
which will be found in Sir H. Spelman's Concilia; and 
which, he informs us, lie found among the archives of the 
Church of Canterbury. On comparing it with that of 
the Bodleian MS., it appears to be almost identical with 
it ; 3 and here too, as the text is given in Sir H. Spelman's 
work, ^fflt/ielstan is assigned "ad Corwiensem" Now, that 
these names, " Corvinensem" and " Corwiensem" were 
not used for " Cornubiensem" in these two authorities, 
is evident from the circumstance, that in the very next 
sentence 4 which they contain, the words " Cornubia" and 

1 Bodley 579. See Appendix No. YL, where we give at length this curious 
document, with a translation. We shall often have occasion to refer to it here- 
after. The text should be compared with William of Malmesbury and Florence 
of Worcester. 

The laudatory remarks on Leofrick, contained in it, not to mention the record 
of his death, militate against the assertion that it was presented to the cathedral 
by that bishop. 

2 Through the kindness of a friend who has inspected the MS. for us, we are 
enabled to say that the text is correct. 

3 In assigning the date of the appointment of the bishops, this authority 
and the Bodleian MS. agree in substituting 905 for the 904 of William of 
Malmesbury. 

4 "Eaduulfum ad ecclesiam Cridionensem. Insuper addiderunt illi tres villas 
in Cornubia," &c. — See Appendix No. VI. 



10 THE EPISCOPATE OE CORNWALL. 

" Cornubiensem" are employed. It is consequently im- 
possible to conceive that the writer, if he meant the same 
thing, would, as it were in the same breath, have adopted 
such different orthographies. If it were not practicable 
to carry our objection further than we have done, we think 
we should have raised a case of strong suspicion as to the 
soundness of William of Malmesbury's statement respect- 
ing the Cornish episcopate ; but we think we can yet 
place the matter beyond doubt. 

On referring to the pages of Mr. Kemble's Codex 
Biplomaticus, we shall find appended to a charter of 
King iEthelred, a.d. 9S8, the signature of " Sigeric," 
who describes himself as Bishop of the " Corruineiman 
Church." 1 No one, we presume, will dispute this being 
the see which Florence designates by the term " Corvi- 
nensis." We shall also find the bishop of this see sub- 
scribing his name, by a similar description, to some other 
charters. That he is not the Cornish bishop, is placed 
beyond a doubt by a charter of King ^Ethelred, a.d. 993, 
relating to the Monastery of Abingdon in Berks : for to 
this charter we shall find appended the signatures of the 
bishops of both those sees. They describe themselves 
respectively as the " Corruinensian" and the " Cornu- 
biensian" prelates ; and the former, as though sensible 
of the obscurity of his see, adds to his description, that 
his diocese was adjacent to the monastery to which the 
charter relates. 2 There can be no doubt that it was the 
same as the Wilton or Wiltshire see. Mr. Kemble, we 
observe, places it at Ramsbury 3 in Wiltshire. Now, it 

1 " Ego Sigeric Corruinensis eecclesiee episcopus sigiHavi." — Xo. 665, Cod. Dip. 

2 "Ego eelfric coruineusis parrocliie eps, q pfatu adiacet monasteriu, huic 
dono scain cruce impssi. — Ego scldred, comubiensis ecle eps, hoc decretu 
csentiendo laudavi." — Xo. 684, Cod. Dip. 

3 Index of Places, vol. vi. Cod. Dip. voc " Coruinensis." See, too, Saxons 
in England.''' vol. ii. 262, by the same author. 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 11 

is well known that for several years this place was a 
bishop's see, which, it is said, was afterwards removed to 
Sherborne, and finally to Salisbury. 1 It would, however, 
carry us too far from our subject to enter upon this 
investigation ; nor is it at all necessary. It is sufficient 
for our purpose, that we have clearly shown that Corvi- 
nensis does not mean Cornwall, and that William of 
Malmesbury has erred in treating it as if it did. We are, 
therefore, compelled to reject the authority of this his- 
torian for the supposed creation of the Cornish episcopate 
in the reign of King Eadward the elder, and for the 
appointment of iEthelstan as its first bishop, and to apply 
the statement to a different see; and with this interpreta- 



1 We may here note that " Corvinensis " is the same church as is just after- 
wards called by Florence " Sunnungnensis." Let us see how that is. Having 
informed us that five bishops were appointed in West Saxony, to the Winchester, 
Corvinensian, Sherborne, Wells, and Crediton sees, he at the same time appends 
five lists of bishops, for the Winchester, Sunnungnensiau, Sherborne, Wells, and 
Crediton sees. No one, comparing the two series, would, we should have 
thought, have hesitated for a moment in concluding that " Sunnungnensis" in 
one was the same as " Corvinensis " in the other ; especially as we find iEthelstan 
stands the first in its list of bishops. Yet so strangely has the great authority 
of William of Malmesbury for reading " Corvinensis " as " Cornubiensis " pre- 
vailed, and thrown the historic investigator on the wrong scent, that this obvious 
conclusion seems to have been entirely disregarded. That the names referred to 
do relate to the same thing, we can make still clearer. We shall find in the 
Codex. Dip. three signatures of the " Corruninensian " prelates, viz. : " Sigeric," 
a.d. 988— "^Elfric," a.d. 993—" Brihwald," a.d. 1023; and, if we refer to the 
Sunnungnensiau list in Florence, we find the same three bishops in the same 
order, "Sigericus," "Alfricus," " Brihtwoldus " ; besides which, as we have 
already observed, iEthelstan is the first in the list, who, Florence tells us, was 
the first Corvinensian bishop. Florence also informs us that the Sunnungnensian 
see was afterwards joined to Sherborne, and finally established at Salisbury ; and 
the same has been said of the Ramsbury see. But this place is twenty miles 
from Abingdon. Sunningwell, Berks, if that be the place indicated by Sun- 
nungnensian, is two miles only from Abingdon. William of Malmesbury (De 
Gest. Pont. lib. h\), referring to the appointment of five bishops in West Saxony, 
by Eadward, adds, "Not long afterwards, a sixth bishop was appointed in 
Kamesbury." Cressy, adopting the same statement, observes that Ethelstan 
was the name of the first bishop of Ramsbury (Cressy xxx. c. 6). The Sun- 
nengensian see was afterwards styled the Wilton or Wiltshire see ; but we 
refrain from any further investigation of this subject. 



12 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

tion, we shall find that some inconsistencies, which have 
hitherto attached to the commonly received reading of the 
authorities referred to, w T ill at once disappear. 

Both the Bodleian MS. and the acccount in the archives 
of Canterbury, after enumerating the bishops appointed 
in West Saxony, inform us immediately afterwards, that 
there were also conferred upon Eadulph, the Bishop of 
Crediton, three vills in Cornwall, viz. : Polltun, Ccelling, 
and Landuuithan, "that he might from thence visit the 
Cornish race to extirpate their errors ; for they had pre- 
viously, to the utmost of their power, resisted the truth, 
and not obeyed the apostolic decrees/' x Now, it seems 
to us inconceivable, that after appointing a bishop of 
Cornwall, an endowment should have been conferred on 
the Bishop of Crediton, to enable him to do that which 
strictly fell within the duties of the Cornish prelate. 2 
But if we read "Corvinensem" as something different from 
Cornwall, it becomes very intelligible that the Devonshire 
bishop should have had the charge of that small portion 
of Cornwall, which was then subject to the Saxon govern- 
ment. Again, as there is good reason to believe that 
nearly the whole of Cornwall was, at that time, still inde- 
pendent, and was not subjected to the Saxon government 
until the following reign of King JEthelstan, it seems 
altogether a superfluous act to appoint a bishop for that 
county, at that early period. Indeed, so strongly was 

1 " Eaduulfum ad ecclesiam Cridionensem. Jnsuper addiderunt illi tres villas 
in Cornubia, quorum nomina hsec sunt, Polltun, Calling, Landuuithan, ut inde 
singulis annis, visitaret gentem Cornubiensem, ad extirpandos eorum errores. 
Nam antea, in quantum potuerant, veritati resistebant, et non decretis apostolicis 
obediebant. Sedetaliis,"&c. SeeAppendix No.Vl. By some unaccountable freak 
of the printer or his myrmidon, this passage is quoted in Mr. D. Gilbert's History 
of Cornwall as poetry, being divided into lines of equal length, each commencing 
with a capital letter. He omits all reference to any authority, and the unknown 
poet was of course sought for in vain. — History of Cornwall, vol. iii. p. 416. 

2 Mr. D. Gilbert observes that the reason assigned for the endowment of the 
Crediton bishop was "not very flattering to the see of Cornwall." 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 13 

Dr. Whitaker, in his Ancient Cathedral of Cornwall, im- 
pressed with this objection, that, being unable to get 
over the authority of William of Malmesbury, he boldly 
conjectures that King Eadward's appointment of Bishop 
iEthelstan must have been a usurpation — an attempt to 
force a bishop upon the Cornish people against their will, 
and while, as yet, they were independent of the Saxon 
authority. We now see, however, that there is no need 
of resorting to this extreme supposition. 1 

We trust that we have now made it sufficiently evident 
that there are no valid grounds for supposing that the 
Cornish bishoprick was established in the reign of King 
Eadward the elder, in the manner stated, or that iEthelstan 
was its first prelate. We propose, therefore, to reject 
this personage from the list of its bishops. 

We learn from William of Malmesbury that Lyving, 
Bishop of Crecfiton, had so much influence with King 
Cnut, as to unite under his own authority the bishop- 
ricks of Cornwall and Devon, on the decease of his uncle 
Brithwold, who was then Bishop of Cornwall. 2 This 
testimony for BisJiop Buruhwold is confirmed by the still 
earlier authority of Florence. We have likewise the ad- 
ditional evidence of a charter of King Cnut, a.d. 1018, 
containing a grant of lands " to his most faithful Bishop 
Burlnoold" and to Saint Germanus? The signature of 
the bishop is subscribed to the document, and there can 

1 Whitaker' s Cathedral of Cornwall ', vol. i. pp. 57, 58. 

2 " Livingus ex monacho Wintoniensi, Abbas Tavistokensis, et episcopus 
Cridiensis, maxima? familiaritatis et potentise, apud Cnutonem regem habitus 
est. — Eo apud euni gratiee processit, ut defuncto avunculo suo Brithwoldo, qui 
erat Comubiensis episcopus, ambos arbitratu suo uniret episcopatus." — William 

of Malmesbury, De Gest. Pont. lib. ii. 

3 " Ego Cnut, rex subthronizatus Angligenum, cuidam meo fidelissimo 
episcopo, qui noto vocitamine nuncupatur Burhwold, condono — etpost obitum 
ejus, terram Landerhtun, commendat pro anima ejus, et regis, saneto Germano 
in perpetuam libertatem." — No. 728, Cod. Dip. See Appendix No. III. 



14 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

be no doubt that it relates to the Cornish see. It is upon 
these grounds that BuruhwoJd has been universally ad- 
mitted into the list of Cornish bishops ; and he has been 
recognised as the last who occupied that see. 

Neither Florence nor William of Malmesbury has 
furnished us with the names of any other Cornish prelate ; 
in fact the latter candidly acknowledges " that a regular 
series of the Cornish bishops he has no knowledge of, 
and does not undertake to set forth." 1 

The names of two others have, however, been ascer- 
tained from ancient documents. There is a charter of 
Archbishop Dunstan, and other prelates, a.d. 966, among 
the signatures to which is the following : — 

" I, JEthetetan^ Bishop of Cornwall, have advised." 2 

It is, we believe, the only authority for this bishop 
which is known to exist. 

Another charter, containing a grant by King ^Ethelred 5 
a.d. 994, makes express mention of " the bishojjrick of 
Bishop Ealdred, that is in the province of Cornwall^ 2 ' 
We likewise find the signature of Ealdred, as Bishop of 
Cornwall, in three other charters of the following dates : 
a.d. 993, 995, and 997. 4 The claiDi of this personage 
to be placed among the Cornish bishops, is, therefore, 
beyond controversy. 

We have now adduced all the evidences of ancient date 
which have enabled former writers on this subject to 
supply the names of the Cornish prelates. It will be 
seen that they furnish four only, viz. (placing them in 

1 " Cornubiensiurn sane Pontificum succiduum ordineni nee seio nee appono." 
William of Malmesbury, De Gest. Pont. Ang. lib. ii. 

2 " Ego iEthelstanus episcopus Cornubiensis consilium dedi." No. 528, Cod. 
Dip. 

3 " episcopium Ealdredi episcopi id est in provincia Comubiae." — 

No. 680, Cod. Dip. Appendix No. II. 

4 Cod. Dip. Nos. 684, 688, 698. We believe it is to the publication of this 
work that this additional testimony for Bishop Ealdred is due. 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 15 

order of succession), iEthelstan L, iEthelstan II., Ealdred, 
and Buruhwold : the first, for the reasons stated, being 
inadmissible. Such other names as have been supplied, 
rest on the authority of writers in comparatively modern 
times, which we will now proceed to consider. 

Of these the earliest is Leland, the well-known traveller 
and antiquary, who came into Cornwall in the time of 
King Henry VIII. He has left us, in his Itinerary, this 
note respecting St. Germans Priory, in Cornwall : — 

" Beside the hye altare of the same Priory, on the 
right hand, ys a tumbe in the walle, with an image of a 
Bishop, and over the tumbe a XI Bishops paynted, w T ith 
their names, and verses, as token of so many Bishoppes 
biried there, or that ther had beene so many Bishoppes of 
Cornwalle that had theyre seete theer." 

The omission of Lelancl to record in his works the 
names of these eleven bishops, was occasioned, possibly, 
by the inscriptions being illegible. But we may w T ell 
admit, that, could he fortunately have made them known 
to us, an infinity of trouble would have been saved to 
subsequent investigators ; and not a few sharp w x ords 
would never have been penned. 

In another work which this antiquary has left us, we 
find some brief notices, which, as they have an important 
bearing on our subject, we now extract : — 

" From the charter of iEthelstan's donation/' 

" He raised one Concm to be bishop in the Church of 
Saint Germans." 1 

And somewhat farther on we have — 

" There were successively eleven bishops in the Church 
of St. Germans." 2 

1 "Ex charta donat JEthelstani." 
"Erexit in ecclesiain S. Germani quendam Conanum episcopum anno d. 936 
nonis Decembris." — Lelancl. Collectanea, torn. i. 75, 

2 " Fuerimt successive undecim episcopi, in ecclesia S. Germani." — Unci, 



16 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

If these two notices could be read in connection with 
each other, we should be justified in concluding their 
meaning to be, that King iEthelstan founded the Cornish 
episcopate, and that Couan was its first bishop; but, 
inasmuch as they are not connected in the text, we can- 
not be quite sure that such is their meaning, although 
such an assumption would carry with it a high degree 
of probability : at all events, it is evidence, whatever it 
may be worth, that Conan was a bishop of Cornwall ; 
and if we could be certain that Leland inspected the 
original charter of iEthelstan, it would be conclusive. 
No such charter is now known to exist ; it would there- 
fore be more satisfactory if we could find some proof 
confirmatory of this statement of Leland, who gathered 
his information many centuries after the event. On 
examining the Cod. Dip. we shall find, on several occa- 
sions in the reign of King iEthelstan, the signature of a 
Bishop "Conan": the earliest we have found being in 
a charter dated a.d. 930. The name is variously spelt : 
— as " Conan," " Cunan," " Curuan," and once as 
" Cay nan." * 

As the see is nowhere specified in these signatures, we 
cannot be certain that they apply to a Cornish prelate ; 
but the dates very nearly correspond with those given 
by Leland. 2 

In support of this evidence we may remark, that we find 

1 Cod. Dip. Nos. 352, 353 : " Ego Cunan epsc. c. et sbs." 364 : " Ego 
Conan episcopus consensi et subscripsi." 367, 1102, 1103, 1107, 1119, 1143 ; 
but the last document is not authentic. We think we may fairly take for granted 
that they all relate to the same person, though the orthography varies— a cir- 
cumstance not unusual in those times. 

2 Leland gives 926 for the date of the foundation of St. Petrockstowe ; but 
Dr. Whitaker observes, in his Cathedral of Cornwall (vol. i. p. 24), that Leland 

3 

corrected the date, thus, 926. The Saxon Chronicle gives 926 as the year when 
Howel, King of the West Welsh, or Cornish, submitted to iEthelstan. Else- 
where Leland gives 936 as the date of Conan's appointment. See before. 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 17 

no bishop of that name in the lists given by Florence, 
which is to our mind a strong ground for believing that 
he was a Cornish bishop, the list for that see not being- 
inserted in Florence ; and, as we have no knowledge of 
any earlier bishop in Cornwall, we may fairly presume 
that he was the first, the Saxon power over the entire 
county having been first established by King JEthelstan. 
It will be observed, that Leland has stated that he 
saw, in the Priory Church of St. Germans, the names of 
eleven bishops ; it would be essential, therefore, that any 
list, purporting to be complete, should produce an equal 
number of names. Hitherto we have gleaned the names 
of four only ; but in this poverty of information, modern 
writers have not despaired, and we may learn, with some 
surprise, that, in 1601, Bishop Godwine, then subdean 
of Exeter, presented to the world a complete series of 
the Cornish prelates — indeed with one more than was 
required, for he gives twelve in all. 1 The names are as 
follows : — 

a.d. 905. 



1. 


Athelstan ; 


2. 


Conanus. 


3. 


Ruydocus. 


4. 


Aldredus. 


5. 


Britwyn. 


6. 


Athelstan ; 


7. 


Wolfi. 


8. 


Woronus. 


9. 


Wolocus. 


10. 


Stidio. 


11. 


Adelredus. 


12. 


Burwoldus. 



he lived in the year 966 



1 Leland says he saw the names of eleven bishops. Dr. Whitaker reads 
Leland' s notes in the Collect, as if he meant that eleven bishops succeeded 
Conan. — Cath. of Cormvall, vol. ii. 194. 

C 



18 THE EPISCOPATE OE CORNWALL. 

The author of this list fairly acknowledges that he 
derived his information " for the most part nevertheless 
out of Master John Hooker's Catalogue of the Bishops 
of Exeter!' 

Subsequent writers appear to have adopted this list, 
either in its integrity or with certain omissions, but no 
additions have been made to it, excepting that the Rev. 
Peter Heylin, Prebendary of Winchester, has placed at 
its head, " S. Patroc," with a note that "he lived circa 
an. 850"; 1 an anachronism which has justly drawn down 
upon him the sharp rebuke of Dr.Whitaker. The latter 
writer has scrutinized this list with his characteristic 
acumen and unsparing severity. He admits Nos. 1, 2, 
6, 11, and 12, for the reasons we have submitted, 
although we must reject No. 1, whose appointment even 
Dr.Whitaker treats as a usurpation. As to all the others, 
he appears to be entirely sceptical ; and until there be 
some better evidence for them than the reference to 
" Master John Hooker s Catalogue" of which we believe 
nothing is known, we apprehend that most persons will 
agree in thinking that they are entitled to no serious 
consideration. 

We ought here to notice that Dr. Whitaker, with a 
great display of learning, presents to us the names of 
several personages who, he contends, were bishops of 
Cornwall whilst it remained under British rule ; " un- 
rolling to us," he says, " a record which has hitherto 
been almost as much unopened as the roll of destiny 

1 Are we to understand by this name, St. Patrick, the Irish saint, who is said 
to have visited Cornwall in the fifth century; or St. Petrock, the Welsh saint, 
who visited this county, according to Leland, and died there, in the sixth cen- 
tury? It should seem as if the name had been constructed as a kind of " mezzo 
termine" to suit either saint, as circumstances might demand. Nevertheless 
we do find " Petrochus" spelt sometimes " Patrochus "; and, if we could believe 
that Heylin' s figures had been accidentally transposed from 508, the date would 
not be far wrong to suit the Cambrian saint. 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 19 

itself." He supposes the Cornish Britons to have had a 
bishop's see at St. Germans, which subsisted until the 
final subjugation of Cornwall under King iEthelstan. 
The Anglo-Saxon bishops, who succeeded from that time, 
were in his view, in continuation only of the British pre- 
lates ; the Saxon episcopate being established in substi- 
tution, as it were, of the existing see of British founda- 
tion. This view is, however, purely conjectural, and un- 
supported by any positive evidence ; nor is it necessary 
that we should here enter upon the consideration of it, as 
it does not strictly fall within the scope of this inquiry. 

We believe we have now exhausted all the sources of 
information to which writers on this subject have had 
access ; and we perceive the scantiness of the result. 
Nor is it surprising that what the historian, who lived 
but shortly after the event, should have declared his in- 
ability to furnish, other investigators, after the lapse of 
many centuries, should have failed to ascertain. In the 
state of uncertainty in which we have thus been left, 
with regard to the personages who occupied the Cornish 
see, it has happened within our own day, that a docu- 
ment of great interest has been unexpectedly discovered, 
which has brought to our aid a considerable accession of 
information. This document, now placed in the British 
Museum, 1 is an ancient copy of the Gospels, apparently 
of the Anglo-Saxon age. On its margins and vacant 
spaces there will be found registered, transactions pur- 
porting, in most instances, to have taken place " at the 
altar of St. PetrocJc" which, from some of the entries, 
appears to have been within a conventual minster, or 
church, and at or near to Bodmin. The obvious and 
almost certain conclusion is, that this " altar of Saint 
Petrock " must have been at the well-known monastery 

1 Add. MS. 9381. 



20 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

of that name, at Bodmin. The transactions thus re- 
corded consist of the manumissions of serfs, which, for 
greater solemnity and notoriety, were usually made in a 
church or other public place. 1 Indeed the most ordinary 
contracts of sale and purchase, or exchange, were re- 
quired, by the Anglo-Saxon laws, to be made in the 
most open and notorious manner, in the presence of 
some ecclesiastical or civil functionary, or of several wit- 
nesses. Serfdom, as it existed in this country and in 
other parts of Europe, during the medieval period, is a 
subject which remains involved in considerable obscu- 
rity, notwithstanding that it has undergone the inves- 
tigation of writers of the highest repute. We know, 
however, that the influences of the Church were at all 
times exerted in lightening the burdens and obtaining 
the freedom of the slave. The liberating of the sons of 
toil from the fetters of bondage, and such like merito- 
rious acts, were, we may believe, enjoined by the clergy 
on their flocks, as works of piety well calculated to con- 
ciliate the Divine favour, and to promote the salvation, 
either of him who performed them, or of the person 
to whose eternal welfare they were specially dedicated. 
Interesting as are these records of the emancipation of 
serfs at St. Petrock's, and which now for the first time 
have been brought to light, it is proper to observe that 
other similar records are known to exist ; and the con- 
formity of the entries in the Bodmin book of the Gospels 
with such as have been found elsewhere, affords some 
proof of their genuineness. The practice of preserving a 
testimony of such acts of beneficence, and indeed of any 

1 " Eip man hir moen an piojrobe jrneolj" gepe," &c. 
" If auy one give freedom to his man at the altar," &c. — Laws of King Wih- 
trced, 8. Thorpe, vol. i. 

" Qui servurn suum liberat in ecclesia vel mercato vel comitatu vel hundreto 
coram testibus et palam faciat," kc— Leges R, Hen. I. t 78. Thorpe, vol. i. 



NAMES -OF THE BISHOPS. 21 

kind of events, in the pages of the sacred volume, appears 
to have prevailed in the Anglo-Saxon times ; and many 
" a family Bible " at this day will furnish evidence that 
a similar practice has not yet ceased to exist. It fortu- 
nately happens that in these minutes of events at Saint 
Petrock's, mention is sometimes made of personages dis- 
tinguished in history, who are stated to have borne a 
part in the transactions ; and we are thus furnished with 
a clue to ascertain the dates of those events. The names 
of no less than five Saxon monarchs appear in these re- 
cords : King Eadmund, the immediate successor of King 
iEthelstan, who was the acknowledged conqueror of 
Cornwall, being found among the number ; and, what 
is still more unexpected and surprising, King Eadmund, 
as well as two others of the royal personages, are them- 
selves among the persons conferring liberty on their 
slaves, and consequently present at St. Petrock's. There 
is, we believe, no other passage of history which furnishes 
authentic testimony of the presence of a Saxon sovereign 
in Cornwall, after it ceased to exist as an independent 
territory. But what it more immediately concerns us to 
know is, that we likewise find mentioned in these re- 
cords the names of four bisJiops, namely, JEthelgeard, 
Comoere, Wulfsige, and Buruhoold, who, it will be no 
unreasonable presumption to suppose, must have been 
bishops of the Cornish diocese. The first three names 
are altogether new to us, and they will all become the 
subject of our investigation. 

We may here observe, that the recent publication of 
the Anglo-Saxon Charters, under the very able editorship 
of Mr. Kemble, 1 has also brought within our reach the 
means of pursuing the inquiry in a much more exact and 

1 " Codex cliplomaticus revi Saxonici opera Johannis M. Kemble." — JPtiblisTied 
by the Historical Society. 



22 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

rigorous manner than was practicable before; and, at 
the same time, has furnished important aid in testing the 
accuracy and fixing the dates of these manumissions. 
The service which this publication has rendered to us in 
the previous investigation, will have been manifest ; but 
we acknowledge some disappointment, that we have not 
succeeded in gathering from the Charters that confirma- 
tory proof of the names of these new prelates which we 
anticipated. Considering the very great number of public 
and private documents contained in the collection — most 
of which are attested by a long array of witnesses, among 
whom the episcopal body are most conspicuous, and 
sometimes with the designation of their sees — it might 
have been expected that we should meet with the names 
of the three Cornish bishops now first brought to light. 
But we cannot say with absolute certainty that we can 
point them out; nevertheless this failure ought not to 
create surprise, for in fact, if any of these new names 
could have been distinguished with certainty in the 
Charters, that would have been done before the discovery 
of the St.Petrock record; and, even if the names of these 
new bishops had been entirely wanting in the numerous 
attestations of the Charters, that circumstance may have 
arisen from the remoteness of the Cornish see, which 
could give but few opportunities for its prelates to be 
present at the royal court. 

We shall proceed, in the succeeding chapter, to sub- 
mit the substance of this newly acquired evidence, ex- 
plaining its nature, and applying it, so far as it is in our 
power, to the purposes of our inquiry. 



23 



CHAPTER II. 

Evidence derived from the Manumissions recorded in the Bodmin book of the 
Grospels — Table comparing it with the evidence of the Charters — Bishops 
iEthe![geard], Comoere, Wulfsige, in the time of Duke Ordgar — JEthelstan 
— Account of Duke Ordgar — The story of Eadgar and iElfry tha from GfeoiFrey 
Gfaimar's Chronicle — : Bishops iEthelred — Buruhwold, in the time of Duke 
.ZEthelwserd, and Abbat Grermanus — An account of this Duke and of the 
Abbat — These Bishops not Chorepiscopi, as supposed, 

In submitting the additional information to be derived 
from the Saint Petrock record, so as to exhibit it in its 
clearest and most intelligible light, we have thought it 
preferable to reduce it into a tabular form, placing, side by 
side, such comparative testimonies from the Charters, as 
may serve to confirm its correctness, or to elucidate its 
import. It will be necessary, at the same time, to intro- 
duce the names of those bishops whose claims to be 
placed on the list have been already established. In 
pursuing this part of the subject, we shall have occasion 
to touch, incidentally, on some points of history which 
are not without interest, from their connection with per- 
sons and things which will be brought under our review; 
and are also of importance, as furnishing additional proof 
of the genuineness and credibility of the Saint Petrock 
record. Indeed, in this respect, much of what we are 
now about to adduce might have been stated when we 
previously mentioned that document, but which, to avoid 
repetition, we have deferred to this chapter. 



24 



THE EPISCOPATE OP CORNWALL. 



Comparative Statement of the Evidences contained in the 
11 Codex Petrociensis " and the " Codex Dipt" 



Sovereigns 

and 

Yeaes. 



A.D. 

^Ethelstan, 925 



Eadmund, 1 
Eadred, 

Eadwig, 
Eadgar, 



940 
946 

955 
959 



^thel[geard]. 



Cemoere, 

or 
Comoere. 



Eadward, 
(Ethelred, 



975 

978 



Eadinund, ") ■, A1 c 
Cnut, J 1016 



Harold 
Harefoot, 



,} 



1036 



Harthacnut, 1039 

Eadward, 1042 

Harold, ") 
Norman V 1066 
Conquest, ) 



Manumissions. 



L Oteta^. 



Wulsie . 



Bnruhwold. 



Ordgar dux. 



.Ethelwerd 
dux. 



iEthselwserd 
dus^ernianus 
Abbas. 



Chaetees. 



Other Personages 
Bishops named. named> 



Abishop Conan 
several times 
named, but 
without men- 
tion of his see. 



A.D 

^thelstan, 966 



Ealdred, 993-7 



ethelred, 1001 



Burhwold,1018 



Ordgar, dux 
Domnonise. 

a.d. 966 



Grermanus,Eam, 
Abb. a.d. 993 

iEthelweard, 
occidentahum 
Provinciarum 
dux. a.d. 997 

Germanus, Ceo- 
losigensis ec- 
elesige Abbas. 
a.d. 997. 



1 The Sovereigns whose names are in italics are mentioned in the Manu- 
missions. 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 25 

To understand the contents of the preceding synopsis, 
it will be convenient to consider each bishop separately, 
in the order of the date. 

The earliest name disclosed to us by the Saint Petrock 
record is that of Bishop iEthel[geard]. The entry in the 
Manumissions may be thus translated : — 

" Wuenumon and her offspring, Moruith her sister, 
and her offspring, and Wurgustel, and his offspring, were 
freed here in the town, for King Eadryde, and for Bishop 
jEtliel\jeard\ on the witness of the brotherhood, that 
here are in the town." 1 

In the first publication of the Manumissions, for which 
we are indebted to the late President of the Royal Society, 
Mr. Davies Gilbert, this name appeared as "JEthelgar." 
In Mr. Kemble's Codex it is written, " iEthel[geard]." 
It is true that there was a Bishop iEthelgar, in the time 
of King Eadred, but he presided over the Crediton see. 
If this be the person named in the entry, we must sup- 
pose, either that it was a casual visit of the Devonshire 
prelate, or that, as yet, the Cornish episcopate was not 
established, which would militate against any previous 
Bishop Conan. 

On the other hand, we do not find, in the Codex, any 
such name as Bishop iEthel[geard] about the time of 
King Eadred. On referring to the MS., which, as we 
have stated, is now in the British Museum, it will be 
found that the last syllable of the name is obliterated, 
except that portions of the two first letters are visible. 
These may possibly be parts of the letters Mr. Kemble 
supposes ; at all events we defer to such excellent au- 

1 " Wuenumon and hire team, MoruiS hire swuster and hire team, and Wur- 
gustel and his team, warun gefreod her on tune, for Eadryde cynigc, and for 
JEthel***, biscop, an Sas hirydes gewitnesse $e her on tune syndun." — Cod. 
Dip. vol. iv. 312. 



26 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

thority, and adopt his reading. 1 For the reasons we 
have previously mentioned, the absence of this bishop's 
name in the Charters, is no ground for doubting the 
genuineness of the entry. 

We now pass to the two bishops, Comoere, or Cemoere, 
and Wulfsige, or Wulsie, both contemporary with King 
Eadgar. 

The first will be found named, on three occasions, in 
the Manumissions, twice spelt " Comoere," and once 
" Cemoere"; but this slight difference in the orthography 
is scarcely a sufficient ground for doubting that they re- 
late to the same person. We give a translation of one of 
the entries, which fixes the reign. 

" This is the name of the man whom Osferth freed, for 
the soul of King Eadgar, Gurheter, upon the altar of 
Saint Petrock ; before these witnesses — Comoere, bishop; 
Agustinus, lector; 2 Byrhsie, priest." 3 

We have not found this bishop's name in the Charters. 

There are no less than eight entries in the St. Petrock 
record, in which Bishop Wulfsige, or Wulsie, is referred 
to. The "f" in the first syllable, and the "g" in the 
last, being sometimes wanting, which is often found to 
occur in the orthography of this name. Four of these 
entries refer to King Eadgar, and one to Duke Ordgar, 
and determine the date of his episcopacy. We give two 
of the entries. 

" Wulfsie, bishop, freed iEdoc, daughter of Catgustel, 

1 The name, as it now appears in the MS., seems to be "iESelti." 

2 Lectroji lr naebejie J?e jieeb on Eober cyjican- -j bits Jjsento ^ehabob -p he 
bobi^e Irober pojib." 

"Lector is the reader who reads in God's church, and is ordained for the 
purpose of preaching God's word." — Canons of JElfric, 12. Thorpe, vol. ii. 

3 " Hoc est nomen illius hominis, quern liberauit OsferS, pro anima Eadgari 
regis, Gurheter, super altare sancti Petroci ; coram istis testibus, Comoere, epis- 
copus, Agustinus, Lector, Byrhsie sacerdos." — Cod. Dip. vol. iv. 315. 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 27 

for his soul, and for Eadgar the king's, upon the altar of 
Saint Petrock." 

" This is the name of the woman, Wencenethel, whom 
Duke Ordgar freed for his soul, upon the altar of 
Saint Petrock, before these witnesses — Wulfsige, bishop ; 
Leumarh, presbyter; Grifiuth, presbyter; Morhaitho, 
deacon. 5 ' 1 

We have already pointed out that it appears from a 
single entry found in the Charters, that there was a 
bishop of Cornwall, of the name of iEthelstan, a.d. 966, 
about the middle of the reign of King Eadgar ; we have, 
therefore, to determine to what portion of his reign we 
ought to assign Comoere and Wulfsige, consistently with 
that fact. A Bishop Wulfsige will be found named in 
the Charters, in great frequency, both before and after 
966, but without mention of any see ; and it is possible 
that in some of these instances the Cornish prelate may 
be intended. The name itself is a very common one; a 
remark which equally applies to iEthelstan, and renders 
it impossible to arrive at any conclusion whatever re- 
specting the commencement and duration of his epis- 
copacy, from anything which the Charters disclose : two 
bishops, and even three, of the name of iEthelstan, being 
sometimes found in the same document. 2 A diversity of 

1 " Wulfsie episeopus liberauit JEdoc, fHiam Catgustel, pro anima sua, et 
Eadgari regis, super altare Sancti Petroci." 

" Hoc est nomen illius mulieris, WenceneSel, quam liberauit Ordgar dux, pro 
anima sua, super altare Petroci sancti ; coram istis testibus,Wulfsige, episeopus ; 
Leumarh, presbyter; Grifiuft, presbyter; MorhaiSo, diaconus." — Cod. Dip. 
vol. iv. 315, 310. 

2 In one instance they are united by a curious formula — 

" Nos tres uniformi proprio iElfstani appellativo vocitamine episcopi consig- 
navimus. — Ego Byrhthelm geminique iEthelwoldi episcopi consensimus et con- 
scripsimus." — Cod. Dip. No. 584. 

This entry confirms Mr. Kemble's opinion, that the signatories did not ac- 
tually write their names. The three vEthelstans referred to, appear, from other 
entries, to have been the Bishops of London, Eochester, and Wilton ; the latter 
being the Corvinensian see of Florence, erroneously taken for Cornwall. 



28 THE EPISCOPATE OP CORNWALL. 

orthography adds to this uncertainty. 1 In some instances 
the bishoprick is named, in others not ; we may, therefore, 
suppose it possible that wmen not named, the Bishop of 
Cornwall may be sometimes referred to. In the absence 
of any positive data to guide us, it seems to us w r e shall 
make a more even distribution by supposing iEthelstan's 
episcopacy to have intervened between those of the other 
two ; and as Wulfsige's presidency appears, from the 
number of times he is mentioned in the Manumissions, 
to have been a long one, there will be a greater interval 
for him between JEthelstan and Ealdred than before 
iEthelstan. We propose, therefore, to adopt this order, 
though we must acknowledge that the grounds for so 
doing are but slight. 2 

It will have been observed, that in one of the extracts 
above quoted, in connection with Bishop Wulfsige, it is 
recorded that Duke Ordgar conferred freedom on his 
female serf, Wencenethel, at Saint Petrock's altar ; while 
the other extract proves this bishop to have been cotem- 
porary with King Eadgar. It seems to us that it would 
be superfluous fastidiousness to doubt that this Ordgar 
was the personage well known in history as the father- 
in-law of the King. He was the Duke, as it was termed 
in the Latin equivalent, but in Anglo-Saxon, the Eal- 
dorman or Eorl of Devonshire ; 3 and his connection with 
that shire satisfactorily accounts for his presence at so 

1 The name appeal's to be spelt " iEthelstan," or "iElfstan," indifferently. 

2 In the darkness which envelops the rejected portion of Bishop Godwine's 
list, the only gleam of light visible is, that next to this JEthelstan he places 
"Wolfi." Now, if we could suppose that the "/" had been inserted by mistake 
for "/" (these two letters in Anglo-Saxon being liable to this error), it would 
bring this entry into harmony with our own list. 

3 Under the Anglo-Saxons, the government of the shire or county was en- 
trusted to the " Eorl," in Latin <c Dux," or " Comes," but in process of time his 
duties devolved on bis deputy, that is, the shive-reeve, sheriff, or vice-comes, who 
exercises many of them at this day. 



NAMES OF THE BTSHOPS, 29 

distant a spot as the monastery of Saint Petrock in Corn- 
wall. Ordgar is also known as the founder of Tavistock 
Abbey, and the father of Ordulph, distinguished by his 
gigantic stature and proportionate strength. 1 But who 
has not heard the romantic tale of Eadgar and the fair 
iElfrytha? The fame of this lady's beauty had been 
every where circulated, and having reached the ears of 
the King, induced him to despatch his chosen friend 
iEthelwold, Dufce of East Anglia, 2 on a visit to iElfrytha, 
that, if her appearance were such as rumour represented, 
he might make her his queen. The treachery of the con- 
fidant; the deception he practised on his royal master, to 
secure the lady for himself; the subsequent discovery of 
his fraud ; the expiation of his guilt, by his death ; and, 
finally, the marriage of the King with Ordgar' s daughter, 
are well known to every reader of English history. The 



1 William of Malmesbury informs us, that they were both buried at Tavis- 
tock. He describes this place in somewhat glowing terms : — " Est in Domnonia 
coenobium monachorum, juxta Tau fiuvium, quod Tauistok vocatur ; quod per 
Ordgarum, comitem Domnoniensem, patrem Elfridse, quse fuit uxor regis Ed- 
gari, surgendi exordium, per Livingum episcopum, crescendi accepit auspicium ; 
locus, amsenus opport imitate nemorum, captura copiosa piscium, Ecclesise con- 
gruente fabrica, fluvialibus rivis per officinas monachorum decurrentibus, qui suo 
impetu effusi, quidquid invenerint superfluum, portant in exitum." The waters 
of the river conducted through the offices of the establishment serve to remind 
us of Mr. Beckford's account of the luxuries of the monastery of Alcobaca, in 
Spain. The fish, it seems, could have been added to make the parallel com- 
plete. — William of Malmesbury recounts some amusing anecdotes concerning 
Ordulph, such as that when travelling with King Eadward, and reaching Exeter, 
they found the city gates fastened, and the porter absent ; upon which, Ordulph 
seizing the outside bar, with both hands, broke it in pieces, tearing down with 
it a portion of the wall. Then being somewhat heated and irritated by the effort 
(calefactus et secum infrendens), he made another attempt and burst open the 
gates with his foot. The King jocularly attributed the feat to diabolic aid. We 
are also told, that it was usual with him, when he sought diversion, to stand with 
one foot on either side of a river, ten feet wide, and with the seemingly insig- 
nificant blows of a small knife, to strike off into the stream, the heads of such 
wild animals as were driven to him. — De Gest. Pont. lib. ii. 

2 Elorence of Worcester styles him " gloriosus dux orientalium Anglorum." 
An. 964. 



30 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

incidents of this tale are portrayed with much minute- 
ness, and some graphic colouring, in the Metrical Chro- 
nicle of Geoffrey Gaimar, written in Norman French, 
about a century after the Conquest ; and as the scene is 
there laid in great part in Devonshire, and the story is 
intimately connected with the personages now under our 
consideration, we may be excused if we shortly advert to 
the rude lay of this minstrel historian : always bearing 
in mind that Gaimar's statements, when unconfirmed by 
other authorities, are not entitled to be received with all 
the confidence of authentic history. 

He introduces Ordgar to us as a person of so great 
wealth, that from Exeter to Erome, there was not a town 
or city of which he was not the owner. His only child, 
" Alftrued," 1 is described as everywhere renowned for her 
surpassing beauty; and, moreover, exercising great in- 
fluence over her now aged parent. The lady's fame 
reaches King Eadgar, and excited by the representation of 
her personal charms, he reasons with himself, that he could 
make her his consort without being guilty of indiscretion, 
notwithstanding that she was only a baron's daughter. 
Her father, he says, was son to an earl, and her mother 
of gentle birth. Her ancestry would admit of his being 
allied to her without disgrace. Calling to him "Edil- 
wolt," who is described as very dear to him, Eadgar 
unbosoms himself to his friend and counsellor ; informs 
him of his purpose, and, relying on his integrity, com- 
missions him to visit the lady, and to ascertain if her 
beauty justified the common report. 

" ' Edilwolt frere ' dit li rei, 
c Jo te direi de mon secrei, 
Jo aim Estrueth, la fille Orgar ; 
A tote gent l'ai oi si loer, 

1 " Nul altre enfant n'en ert remes." As Ordgar was father of Ordulph, we 
must understand Gaimar to mean that he had no other child by her mother. 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS, 31 

* Et de bealte si preiser, 
Eaire en voldreie ma mulher, 
Si tel estait, et jol seuse, 
Et de sa bealte a sur fusse, 
Pur co ti pri, va la veer : 
Ko k'en dirras, tendrai pur vair. 
Jo te crei mult, fai mun afaire, 
Ne sejurner, mes tost repaire.' " 

iEthelwold sets out on his mission, and tarries not 
until he reaches Ordgar's mansion, in Devonshire, where 
he finds the lady and her sire engaged in playing at 
chess : a game which Ordgar is said to have learnt from 
the Danes. 1 The personal attractions of the lady are 
then dwelt upon, and fascinated by their influence, 
iEthelwold forms the traitorous resolve of reporting her 
to the King, as a person of ordinary appearance. Three 
years elapse, when iEthelwold, presenting himself to his 
sovereign, at a time when he was holding a great National 
Council, entreats his permission to make Ordgar's daugh- 
ter his bride. Falling on his knees before his master, he 
represents the lady in an unfavourable light, and as one 
unworthy of the royal notice, although suitable to a per- 
son of his own degree. The courtiers, who are in his 
interest, second his request. His prayer is granted, and 
the King, presenting him with a ring, the other swears 
fealty to his sovereign master, and, as the Chronicle ob- 
serves, perjures himself on the spot. His marriage with 
iElfrytha then follows. It happened, not long after- 
wards, that, at a banquet, the King again hears iElfrytha's 
beauty and mental endowments universally extoUed ; and 
the conversation runs, that, had she been single, she 
would have been worthy to be made queen. Eadgar's 
suspicion is excited, and he is convinced within himself 
that iEthelwold has betrayed him. 

1 "We do not know if this account of the introduction of Chess into England 
is accepted by those who have written the history of this game. 



32 THE EPISCOPATE OE CORNWALL. 

Upon this the King plans an excursion into Devonshire, 
under the pretence of hunting deer. The lady is residing 
at a mansion near the woods, where the King purposed 
to enjoy the pleasures of the chase. 1 To this mansion 
the King repairs at nightfall, when the fatigues of the 
day are over. He inquires for the lady and her sire, 
and is ushered into " the soler," or upper room, where, 
in the midst of a numerous bevy of dames and damsels, 
he at once recognises iElfrytha by her superior beauty. A 
banquet follows ; golden goblets and buffalos' horns 
flow with wine; the "wassail" cup goes round, and the 
evening is spent in joyous festivity. 

That night, as the King lies at rest, his thoughts are 
on iElfrytha, whose equal he had never seen. His heart 
tells him, that without her he should die, and he gives 
way to evil imaginings. After a few days he leaves, and 
IElfrytha seems to have been made aware of the King's 
partiality. A royal court is shortly afterwards held at 
Salisbury, and the great barons are summoned to attend. 
iEthelwold is among their number, and the King sends 
him to York on public business ; and " Dom Edelwold" 
departs. In no long time, intelligence arrives of his 
having been waylaid and slain. 2 

iElfrytha' s presence at the royal court is now required 
by Eadgar, and she hastens to repair to it. The monarch 
is stated to be in Gloucestershire, and with him the 

1 The red deer have scarcely yet disappeared from the wild tracts of Exmoor, 
in the north of Devon. 

2 This account of iEthelwold' s death does not agree with William of Malmes- 
bury's, who tells us that the King, on discovering his treachery, sent for him into 
a wood at Warewelle, called Harewood, under pretence of hunting, and slew 
him on the spot. The name has given occasion to the assertion that iElfrytha's 
residence was Harewood, in Cornwall, a beautiful spot in one of the reaches of 
the Tamar ; but William of Malmcsbury says expressly it was at Warewelle, 
which is well known to be Whorwell, Hants, where iElfrytha afterwards founded 
a monastery. 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 33 

Welsh kings and many a knight. iElfrytha is attended 
at court by a train of nobles ; the barons of Somerset, 
of Devon, and Dorset, and the earls of Cornwall, 1 accom- 
pany her. The Chronicle has not omitted to inform us, 
even of the lady's costume, the mysteries of which we 
shall not venture to unravel, but submit the original 
passage, that the reader may learn how a Devonshire lady 
composed her toilet in the year of Grace 965 : — 

" He dirraie de son conrei ? 
Un anelet out en son dei, 
Ki plus valeit, tut singlement 
Ke ne fireint li vestement. 
Une chape out de neire suale, 
Ki li trainat en la sale. 
De suz aveit un mantelet, 
Dedanz de gris, defors d'owet. 
De altre tel paille ert son blialt : 
Trop ert bele de co ki chald." 

The result may be anticipated; iElfrytha became 
Eadgar's Queen, and her fortunes for ever associated, with 
the history of the Anglo-Saxon monarchs. But on the 
memory of this Devonshire beauty there rests a dark 
shadow. Her name has descended to us in the page of 
history, stained with the suspicion of crime. On the 
decease of her royal consort, the crown was placed, in 
opposition to her wishes, on the head of her stepson 
Eadward; and scarcely three years did he wield the 
scepter, before his reign was suddenly cut short. As he 
sat on horseback at iElfrytha's door, partaking of her 
proffered hospitality, he received a mortal blow from, an 
unseen hand; and, presently afterwards, iElfrytha's youth- 
ful son iEthelred ascended the vacant throne. The feeble 
and troubled reign of this prince was thought to indicate 

1 This must have been a poetical flourish of G-aimar's. There could hardly 
have been more than one Eorl of Cornwall : Gaimar, as a Norman, was pro- 
bably not very well informed upon points of Anglo-Saxon civil government. 

D 



34 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

the divine displeasure ; and at his death the scepter of 
his kingdom may be said, for a while, to have departed 
from his house. It is told of iElfrytha, that, conscience- 
stricken and penitent, she founded the nunnery at Whor- 
well, and voluntarily submitted herself to various kinds 
of penance. 

The date of the King's marriage with iElfrytha is 
preserved to us in the following passage of the Saxon 
Chronicle : — 

" An. 965. In this year King Eadgar took JElfythe for 
his Queen ; she was Ordgar' s daughter the Ealdomian's." 2 

According to Gaimar, it must have been about four 
years antecedently to the marriage that iEthelwold had 
the first interview with Ordgar ; we have not, however, 
been able to find the name of Duke Ordgar in the Char- 
ters, until the year a.d. 964 ; after which period it will 
be often found to occur. That it relates to the personage 
under consideration is clear, from a Charter of King 
Eadgar, dated a.d. 966, in which he describes himself, 
thus : — 

" I, Ordgar, Duke of Domnonia, have signed," 2 — 
" Domnonia" being the Latin name then used to signify 
the county of Devon. 3 In Eadgar's Charters Ave first 
find the signature of his Queen iElfrytha in 966, after 
which it occurs very frequently. The signatures of Duke 
Ordgar may be traced in the Codex down to the year 
970, after which the name altogether disappears, except 
that it is found once again in a Charter, a.d. 978 ; but 
as the Charter professes to be King Eadgar's, who died 
three years before, the authority of this document is 

1 "An. DCCCCLXY. ]>eji on pij'j-uin geane Gabjan cynins senain iEljrySe 
him "co cpene. heo poep Onbganep bobtoji Balbo/imamiej-." 

2 "Ego Ordgarus dux Domnonia? consignavi." — Cod. Dip., No. 520. 

3 ■ " in Domnonia, quae Devenescire dicitur, et in Cornubia, quae nunc 

Corauguallia dicitur." — William of Malmesbury, Gest. Eeg. lib. i. cap. 6. 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 35 

evidently not trustworthy. Gairnar represents the duke 
to be a very old person, when first visited by iEthelwold, 
and, according to Florence of Worcester, he died about 
a.d. 971 ; and he adds, that he was buried at Exeter. 1 
If we are correct in placing Wulfsie's episcopacy after 
iEthelstan's, Ordgar's manumission of Wencenethel, at 
St.Petrock's,must have taken place between the years 966 
and 971 ; and Wulfsie's manumission of iEdoc, between 
the years 966 and 975 — the end of Eadgar's reign. 

We have already mentioned, that the Charters disclose 
to us that there was a Bishop of Cornwall of the name 
of Ealdred, at the period of a.d. 993-7. 2 In a Charter 
of King iEthelred, dated 1001, we shall also find the fol- 
lowing signature : — 

" I, iEthelred, bishop of the Cornish Church." 3 

There is often, exercised so much latitude in the or- 
thography of Anglo-Saxon proper names, that we are not 
satisfied that this signature does not belong to Ealdred. 
In the absence, however, of any proof of this fact, we 
feel it incumbent to treat it as belongina to a distinct 
personage. 

We now come to the episcopacy of Bishop Buruhwold, 
usually considered the last on the list. We have testi- 
mony of this prelate, both in the Manumissions and the 
Charters. In the former, we find it thus recorded : — 

"And afterwards came Duke iEthaelwserd to the 
monastery of Saint Petrock, and freed her (^Elfgyth), for 
his soul, upon the altar of Saint Petrock, before these 

1 " DCCCCLXXL Clito Eadmundus, regis Eadgari films, obiit et in Monas- 
terio Rurnesige honorifice est sepultus. Eodem anno Alfeagus, Sutkantunensimn 
dux, obiit et G-lastoniee tumulatus est. Xon multo post Ordgarus, dux Dom- 
nanise, socer Regis Eadgari, decessit et in Esanceastre sepultus est." — Floren. 
Wig. Chron. William of Mahnesbury states Tavistock to be the place of his 
sepulture. 

2 See page 14. 

3 "Ego iEthelred Cornubiensis secclesia? episcopus. — "No 706. 



36 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

witnesses — Buruhwold, bishop ; Germanus, abbat ; Titt- 
herd, presbiter," &c. [Here follow other names.] 1 

We have already shown that there was a Bishop of 
Cornwall of the name of Burhwold, a.d. 1018; and we 
have referred to the Charter of King Cnut, by which 
lands were granted to him. 2 The Codex will not, how- 
ever, throw any additional light on this prelate. It is 
true, this name will be often found among the signatures 
of the bishops about that period; but, as it is known that 
there were then several contemporaries of the name, we 
have no assurance that any of these entries relate to the 
Bishop of Cornwall. 

But how are we to be sure that Bishop Buruhwold, of 
the Manumissions, is identical with Burhwold, named in 
King Cnut's Charter ? This fact is placed beyond doubt 
by the circumstance, that the manumission which the 
bishop witnessed, was the act of Duke JEtheelweerd, and 
was witnessed also by Abbat Germanus ; while, in an- 
other entry, we find the same duke witnessing a similar 
act of King iEthelrsed. 

" This is the name of the man, Iliuth, with his off- 
spring, whom King iEthelraed freed upon the altar of 
Saint Petrock before these witnesses — ^Ethehverd, Duke, 
witness ; Osolf, prepositus, witness," &c. [Here follow 
other names.] 3 

1 Et postea venit iEthselwaerd dux, ad ruonasterium Sancti Petroci,et liberauit 
earn pro anitna sua, super altare Sancti Petroci ; coram istis testibus videntibus ; 
Buruhwold, bisceop; Germanus, abbas; Tittherd, presbyter," &c. — Cod. Dip. 
vol. iv. 311. 

This entry, of which a portion only is here given, is one of great interest ; the 
scene is first laid at "Lyscerruyt" [Liskearcl], and it introduces to us not only 
Duke JEthelwcerd, but the Lady JEtluelfloed, his countess, who first liberates the 
slave, " super cymbalum Sancti Petroci." Was not this the " banner" of Saint 
Petrock ? But the subject demands a separate consideration. 

2 See page 13. 

3 "Hoc est nomcn illius hominis,Iliu<5,cum semine suo, quern liberauit iEthel- 
rsed rex, super altare Sancti [Petroci] ; coram istis testibus : JEtlielwerd dux, 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 37 

As this King died but two years before the date of 
Cnut's Charter, and Duke JEthelweard appears from the 
Manumissions to be contemporary both with him and a 
Bishop Buruhwold, we may well presume that this is the 
same prelate as is mentioned in the Charter of King Cnut. 

In further confirmation of this fact, we have to observe, 
that the names both of the Duke and of Abbat Germanus 
are found in the Codex, contemporaneously with Bishop 
Burhwold. It is clear that this prelate occupied his see 
in the year 1018. Now, both in that year, and for several 
years previously to it, we shall find the signatures of a 
Duke iEthelweard occurring in the Charters. That he is 
the personage we are in search of, we may be assured by 
the description he gives of himself in a Charter of King 
^Ethelred, a.d. 997. 1 

" I, ^Ethelweard, Duke of the western provinces." 

The scribe who prepared this document, has adopted 
a similar style for the other dukes who signed it. ,Thus 
we have the Duke of the Northumbrian provinces, also 
of the provinces of the Wiccii, &c. To the same Charter 
there is likewise affixed the signature of " Germanus," 
described as " Abbat of the church of Cholsey." No 
reasonable doubt can be entertained that by the " western 
provinces," either Cornwall alone, or Cornwall and Devon 2 
together, were intended ; and we may, therefore, conclude, 
with the greatest probability, that this Duke iEthelweard 
is identical with the one named in the Saint Petrock 
Record. 3 

testis ; Osolf, propositus, testis ; Mermen, presbyter ; Riol, presbyter ; Ret, cleri- 
cus; Lecem, clericus ; BleSros, clericus." — Cod.Dip.\o\. iv. 310. 

1 " Ego .ZEthelweard occidentalium Provinciarum dux. Ego Leofwine Wic- 
ciarum Provinciarum dux," &c. — Cod. Dip. No. 698. 

2 See note next page. 

3 There is preserved, at Exeter, a charter of King Eadward, a.d. 977, con- 
taining a grant of lands to Duke ZEthelweard, -which we shall possibly advert to 
in the Appendix. 



38 THE EPISCOPATE OE CORNWALL. 

But who was this duke, and can anything be gathered 
from history respecting him ? We will proceed to answer 
these questions. We have observed, that his name is 
found in King Cnut's Charter of 1018, and in others 
of previous date. The earliest in which we have been 
able to trace it, is one of a.d. 967. After which time it 
occurs, with more or less frequency, down to 997 ; in 
which year, as we have already noticed, this personage 
describes himself as "Duke of the western provinces." 
From this date there is an interval, in which the signature 
is wanting, until Cnut's Charter of 1018, in which it 
appears for the last time. The period between 967 and 
1018 is fifty-one years; and, although very long, is, 
nevertheless, not so long as to be incompatible with 
the supposition that all the entries may belong to one 
person. 1 

On turning to the pages of the Saxon Chronicle, we 
shall find, under the date of a.d. 994 — at which time the 
Danes were making great ravages in many parts of Eng- 
land — that King iEthelred had recourse to the unwise 
expedient of purchasing the forbearance of those formi- 
dable enemies, by the payment of a large sum of money ; 
and we are told that the King sent Bishop iElfeah, 
and JEthelweard the JEaldormanf after Anlaf, the Danish 

1 If Duke iEthelweard of 967 was the same person as the duke of 1018, he 
could not have been Eorl of Devon, for iEthelmar was the Devonshire eorl a.d. 
1013. — See Appendix No. VII., for the Eorls of Devon. Another objection to 
his being Eorl of Devon arises from the death of Eorl Ordgar, being assigned by 
Florence to the year 971. But, should we reject the Charter of 967, we shall not 
find Duke iEthelweard again mentioned until a Charter of a.d. 977 (No. 611), 
which is after Ordgar's death. This would also reduce the supposed period 
of iEthelweard' s dukedom to forty-one years instead of fifty-one. It is some- 
what remarkable that we nowhere find any express mention made of an Eorl of 
Cornwall antecedently to the Conquest. Unless this Duke iEthelweard were 
one, we do not know where to point out any such personage. 

2 " Da renbe re cyninje cer-teji Snlajre cyn^e, iElpeah b. and iESelpeanb 
Galbonman," &c. — Sax. Ckron. 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 39 

leader ; and that they brought him to the King at Ando- 
ver ; and " Anlaf made a covenant with him, which he 
fulfilled, that he would never again come hostilely to the 
English nation." 

Again, in the same authority, under the date of 1020, 
we have the following entry : — "At Easter there was a 
great Gemot at Cirencester. Then was outlawed JEthel- 
weard the Ealdorman, and Eadwig, King of the Churls." 1 

The proximity of the dates makes it not improbable 
that these two passages of the Chronicle apply to the 
same person; and if so, they may be fairly taken as 
equally applying to the Duke iEthelweard named in the 
Charters and the Manumissions ; and they consequently 
throw some light on that personage. Associated with 
iElfeah, Bishop of Winchester, he was intrusted by his 
Sovereign with the important duty of effecting an inter- 
view between him and the Danish King, who was then 
with his fleet at Southampton. To ensure the safety of 
Anlaf, hostages were delivered to the ships. The meet- 
ing took place at Andover, and the treaty was con- 
cluded, by which a stop was put to those horrid devas- 
tations which caused the chronicler to observe of the 
Danes, in the same passage, that "they wrought the 
utmost evil that ever any army could do, by burning 
and plundering, and by manslaying; both by the sea- 
coast, and among the East Saxons, and in the land of 
Kent, and in Sussex, and in Hampshire ; and at last they 
took to themselves horses, and rode as far as they would ; 
and continued doing unspeakable evil." We may be 
certain, from iEthelweard having been selected by the 
King, on this important occasion, that he must have been 

1 "Xnb pa on Gaptjion peep mycel gemot cefc EyniDg-ceaytne : J?a geutla- 
gobe man iESelpeanb ealdonman, and Gab pig ceonla cyngc." — Sax. Chron. 



40 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

a person distinguished by his ability and discretion, no 
less than by his elevated rank. But, notwithstanding 
this confidence placed in him by his sovereign, we see 
that about twenty-six years afterwards, this nobleman 
was, by the Saxon Parliament, solemnly adjudged an 
outlaw. In this interval a great revolution had been 
effected. The feeble and distracted reign of iEthelred, 
the son of iElfrytha, had been brought to a close by his 
death ; and the Danish usurper Cnut was now on the 
throne. What the offence of iEthelweard was, which 
occasioned his outlawry, we are nowhere informed; it 
is remarkable, however, that in the Saxon Chronicle he 
is coupled in the same sentence with Eadwig, who is 
described as "King of the Churls," which makes it 
probable that their offences were of the same character. 
The strange term, "ceopla cyngc," "King of the Churls," 
or, as Florence calls him, " rex rusticorum," has not been 
explained to us. It should seem, from the appellation, 
that this Eadwig was a sort of Wat Tyler of that day ; 
and that the populace l had manifested their repugnance 
towards the Danish intruder, by setting up this person 
in opposition to him. Three years previously, this same 
Eadwig had been commanded by King Cnut to be put 
to death. 2 Elorence, however, informs us, that he after- 
wards made his peace with the King; which seems to 
account for the capital punishment being mitigated to 

1 " The Churls " of the Anglo-Saxons could not strictly have been the lowest 
orders of the people ; for these must have been in a state of serfdom, whilst the 
churls were freemen. The term seems to have included all the population, 
which was neither noble nor enslaved. In this view, Eadwig's supporters ap- 
proached rather to what we now call the middle class, so far as we can imagine 
such a class to have existed in the Anglo-Saxon times. If we adopt Florence's 
version of "rustici," they would seem to mean the smaller landowners. — See 
Mr. Kemble's valuable note, Sax. in ~Eng. vol. ii. p. 234. 

2 A. 1017. " ftnb Enur cynins aplymbe ufc Gabpij seSelinj, anb ejX hine 
hec ojrrlean, anb Gabpi ceojila kyninj." — Sax. Chron. 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 41 

that of outlawry and banishment. 1 The Danish Monarch, 
although supported by a strong English party, did not 
obtain the crown without encountering a powerful oppo- 
sition ; and the sentences of death and banishment which 
were passed on several great personages, mark the ex- 
treme measures the King thought fit to resort to, either 
to add to his security, or to gratify his revenge. We can 
hardly doubt, therefore, that iEthelweard's crime, what- 
ever it was, had connection with the political disturbances 
of the time. It is to be remarked, that we do not find 
his name in the Charters after the year 1018, and that 
the sentence of outlawry was passed in 1020. The last 
signature is in a royal charter; it is, therefore, certain 
that at that time he had not incurred the displeasure of 
his Sovereign. 

We must not omit to mention, that about the period 
now under our consideration, was written the well-known 
Chronicle which bears the name of "JEthelweard" . The 
author of it is thought to be the "Ealdorman JEthel- 
weard," to whom the learned Bishop iElfric addressed 
some of his translations from the Old Testament, and 
other works. In the Preface to his Chronicle he describes 
himself as of royal lineage, being the great-great-grand- 
son of King iEthelred, the brother of King iElfred. 2 It 
is by no means impossible that this writer may be the 
identical iEthelweard to whom our attention has been 
directed ; and in this case we might conceive that his re- 
lationship to the excluded family had induced the Danish 
Monarch to send him into exile. 

1 " Tfnb pe beobaft -p pi<5ep»pacan *] utla^an Eobep *j manna op eajibe jepu 
can. bucon big ^ebu^an *j pe geonnop gebetan." — Enutep Domap. 

"And we command that adversaries and outlaws of God and men retire from 
the country, unless they submit and the more earnestly amend." — Thorpe's 
Ancient Laws, Sfc, vol. i. 378. 

2 See Preface to Mon. Hist. Brit. p. 83. 



4^ THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

Among the persons who witnessed Duke iEthelweard's 
act of manumission, at Saint Petrock, there was "Abbat 
Gernianus," whose name, as we have already noticed, is 
found in the Charter of a.d. 997, wherein he is described 
as "Abbat of Cholsey/'' 1 Both before and after that 
date, clown so late as the year 1019, we shall find this 
name in other charters ; but in the earlier one of 993, 2 
it should seem to apply to the Abbat of Ramsay. We 
cannot be sure which of these is the one referred to in 
the Saint Petrock record ; but as the Abbat of Cholsey 
approaches nearest, in point of date, to the time of Bishop 
Buruhwold, we give the preference to this dignitary. 

Prom the evidences which we have submitted, it is 
pretty certain that the visit of JEthelweard to the monas- 
tery of Saint Petrock, in the time of Bishop Buruhwold, 
a record of which has been preserved in the Bodmin 
Book of the Gospels, must have taken place some time 
between the years 1001 and 1020. It is impossible to 
fix the date more precisely, unless we could ascertain the 
exact time of Buruhwold's appointment to his see, which 
we have no means of doing;. 

It is interesting to find that incidents, such as those 
recorded at Saint Petrock's, however trivial in themselves, 
supply us with means whereby a part of the country so 
remote, and so little frequented, as we may suppose that 
monastery to have been, can be brought into immediate 
connection with personages of the highest rank and dis- 
tinction in the Anglo-Saxon times. It is a result we were 
little prepared for ; and, but for the unexpected discovery 
of this ancient record, would never have come to our 
knowledge. It is evident that the intercourse then main- 

1 <: Ego G-ermanus Ceolesigensis rccclesise abbas. ;; - Cod. Dip.TSo. 698. Cholsey 
is near Wallingford, in Berks. 

- "Ego G-ermanus ram abb." — Xo. 684. 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 43 

tained between distant parts of the country, must have 
been more frequent than the defective means of inter- 
communication existing at that time, would give us 
reason to suppose. In that early age, possibly, the calls 
of business were not so engrossing, nor the opportunities 
of intellectual pursuits so numerous, as not to leave 
ample leisure, even to royalty, for ordinary amusements; 
among which travelling may have held the first place. 
The reign of Eadgar was distinguished for its tranquillity, 
which won for him the epithet of "peaceful"; and he is 
represented to us as employing much of his time in jour- 
neying through his dominions. He is even said to have 
made a circuit of the island, by water, once a year. This 
King, it appears, was a visitor at Saint Petrock's ; for we 
learn from the records, that he emancipated a serf at the 
altar of the saint. 1 It would have been gratifying to 
our curiosity to know on what occasion this happened. 
Although we may be disinclined to give credit to all that 
has been told us of the marriage of that monarch with 
the fair iElfrytha, we cannot doubt the truth of the prin- 
cipal facts. May we not then believe that it was during 
some visit of the King to the mansion of that lady's sire, 
that he was led by curiosity, or piety, to make this pil- 
grimage to the shrine of Saint Petrock, and to consecrate 
the event by the act of beneficence which we there find 
recorded? We do not know in what part of Devonshire 
Ordgar's mansion lay ; but we know that the Abbey of 
Tavistock was founded by him, and there too, it has 

1 "Hoc est nomen illius [mulieris] Anaguiftl, quern Eadgar rex liberauit, 
pro anima sua, super altare Sancti Petroci ; coram istis testibus videntibus ; 
Wulfsige presbyter, et G-rifiuft presbyter, et Conredei diaconus, et Byrehtsige 
clericus, Selie laicos." — Cod. Dip. vol. iv. 312. 

" This is the name of the woman Anaguiftl, "whom King Eadgar freed for his 
soul, upon the altar of Saint -Petrock, before these witnesses : — Wulfsige, pres- 
byter ; and G-rifiuth, presbyter ; and Conredei, deacon ; and Byrehtsige, clerk ; 
Selie, layman." 



44 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

been said, Ordgar was interred. This spot is sufficiently 
near to have permitted from it a visit to Saint Petrock's, 
and a return, within the limits of a summer day. 

From the preceding pages it will be seen, that of the 
four bishops, whose names are disclosed to us by the 
records in the Bodmin Book of the Gospels, one only, 
Bishop Buruhwold, can be verified from other sources of 
information. It has consequently been suggested by 
Dr. Oliver, in his valuable Monasticon Dioecesis Exo- 
niensis, that they may have been bishops of other 
dioceses — which it would be difficult to believe, but on 
very strong grounds — or else, that they were what are 
called " Chorepiscopi," that is, a sort of deputy bishops, 
who were at that time occasionally appointed in the 
Church. But inasmuch as one of the four can be recog- 
nised as a regular bishop, it would be illogical to suppose 
that the other three were not of the same character ; nor 
should we think that they would have been styled Bishops, 
had they been Chorepiscopi only. One of them,Wulfsie, 
is himself, in several instances, the person manumitting. 
Now, if the serfs thus receiving freedom were, as there is 
reason to suppose, "adscripti glebce" he must have been 
exercising the right of a landowner, and most probably, 
in respect of the lands connected with the episcopate. 
But we hardly see how a mere Chorepiscopus could be 
in a situation to exercise such a right. The remoteness 
of the county of Cornwall must have been a material 
obstacle to its bishops giving their attendance at Court ; 
and the absence of their names in royal charters — more 
especially as it is most apparent at the earlier period of 
the episcopate^ — does not seem so remarkable a circum- 
stance as to create a doubt of these personages being 
regular bishops. 



45 



CHAPTER III. 

Buruhwold not the last of the Cornish Bishops, as usually stated— Lyving and 
Leofrick to be considered Bishops of this see — An account of Bishop Lyving 
and of Bishop Leofrick — His Charter or Will — Termination of the Cornish 
See, a.d. 1050 — List of the Cornish Bishops, with the authorities — The 
Crediton Bishops — List of them compiled from the Charters — Observations 
thereon. 

It has been usual to consider Buruhwold as the last 
prelate who presided over the Cornish episcopate, ante- 
cedently to its final extinction ; bat on this point we ap- 
prehend there has been some misconception. 1 We have 
already cited 2 the passage of William of Malmesbury, in 
which he says, that Lyving, Bishop of Crediton, was 
on terms of the greatest intimacy and influence with 
King Cnut, and acquired so much favour with him, that 
on the decease of his uncle Brithwold, who was then 
Bishop of Cornwall, he united both bishopricks under 
his own authority. Now, the consolidation of the two 
dioceses, and the creation of a new episcopate, w T ith its 
see at Exeter, was effected by a charter of King Ead- 
ward the Confessor, a.d. 1050, to be noticed hereafter; 
and Leofrick, and not Lyving, was the person to whom 
the new bishoprick was intrusted. Indeed, Lyving died, 
as appears by the Saxon Chronicle, a.d. 1047, 3 three 

1 See Appendix No. IX. The inquisition, mentioned hereafter, refers to him 
as the last bishop. 2 See page 13. 

3 The MSS. vary, and the year is differently stated in them, as 1044, 1046, 
and 1047 j but his name will be found subscribed to a charter, a.d. 1045 
(No. 781) ; also in a charter (No. 1334), as "Lyfing, bisceop be norfcan." It 
is not dated, but Mr. Kemble has affixed the date of 1046. The Bodleian MS. 
assigns the date of 1046 to the appointment of Leofrick, his successor in the see. 
Florence of Worcester also places his death in 1046. 



46 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

years before tins event took place ; and it has conse- 
quently been assumed that his uncle Buruhwold, on 
whose death this supposed union in his favour was to 
be effected, outlived him, and thus disappointed his ex- 
pectation of enjoying the Cornish in addition to the 
Devon bishoprick. 1 It appears to us that this view of 
the matter is altogether erroneous, inasmuch as it com- 
pels us to put a forced construction on the passage of 
William of Malmesbury, who speaks of the transaction 
as something which actually took place, and not as a 
contemplated arrangement, which circumstances pre- 
vented being carried into effect. We think the error 
has arisen from the confounding of two things entirely 
different : namely, the union of both bishopricks in the 
person of one bishop, and the consolidation of those 
bishopricks into one new episcopate. In the former 
case, both bishopricks would remain separate and dis- 
tinct, though held by one prelate ; in the latter, they 
would cease to exist, a new diocese, comprising the other 
two, being substituted in their place. Now, we appre- 
hend that, in the former sense, Lyving, who, besides 
being Bishop of Crediton, also held the see of Worcester, 
was actually appointed to and possessed the Cornish 
prelacy, in strict accordance with the statement of William 
of Malmesbury, and that he enjoyed it until his death — 
the Cornish see, as an independent episcopate, not being 
extinguished until some years afterwards. With this con- 
struction, not only is the literal accuracy of this author 
vindicated, but the corresponding statements of Florence 
of Worcester and the Saxon Chronicle, instead of being 
subjected to violence, are made strictly intelligible in 
their plain and obvious sense. 

1 Wkitaker's Cathedral of Cornwall, vol. ii. p. 218. 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 47 

Thus the former authority informs us, under the date 
of a.d. 1046, that— 

"Living, Bishop of the Wiccii (Worcester), of Domnania 
(Devonshire), and of Cornwall, died on Sunday, the 10th 
of the calends of April ; presently after whose decease the 
presidency of Crediton and Cornwall was given to the 
King's Chancellor, Leofrick, a Breton ; and JEldred, who 
was first a Monk of Winchester, and afterwards Abbat of 
Tavistock, undertook the pontificate of the Wiccii/' 1 

Again, in the list which Florence gives us of the Credi- 
ton bishops, he adds this memorandum of Lyving : — 

" That, on the death of his uncle Brithwold, he united, 
by permission of King Eadward, the Cornish to the 
Devon episcopacy." 2 

The Saxon Chronicle is still more explicit. Under the 
date of 1047 it is stated, that in that year died Lyfing, 
whom the Chronicle styles the " wordsnotera," that is, 
the "word wise," or eloquent bishop, on the 10th of the 
calends of April. The Chronicle adds — 

" He had three bishopricks : one in Devonshire, and in 
Cornwall, and in Worcester. Then Leofrick succeeded 
to Devonshire and Cornwall, and Bishop Aldred to 
Worcester." 3 

We have no more reason to conclude, from the language 
of these authorities, that the Cornish episcopate had been 

1 "MXLVL Clemens papa CXLIII. Livingus Wicciorum Domnania? et Cor- 
nubise presul decimo cal. Aprilis die Dominica obiit. Cujus post decessum 
regis cancellario Leofrico, Britonico, mox Cridiatunensis, et Cornubiensis datus 
est preesulatus ; et Aldredus, qui primo monachus Wintoniensis, post abbas 
Tavistokensis, extitit, Wicciorum pontificatum suscepit." — Elor. Wig. 

2 " Hie defuncto Brihtwaldo, suo avunculo, Cornubiensem prsesulatum, rege 
Eadwardo permittente, Domnaniensi coadunavit episcopatui." — Elor. Wig, 
Append. 

3 "An. MXLVII. }}en jzonfrjrenbe Lypng ye ponbpiotejia b. x- Ki. 
Spji. anb be ksefbe in- b.-jxice, an on Dejrena-rcine, an on Eojmpalon, 
an on pignaceytpe. Da y-enz Leojrjiic to Dejrena-ycine anb to Eojmpalon, 
anb Slbneb b. to py^nacej-tne." — Sax. Chron. 



48 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

then extinguished by being incorporated with Devon into 
one diocese, than to suppose that the diocese of Wor- 
cester had, in like manner, been incorporated with the 
other two. 

Upon these grounds we have no hesitation in adding 
Lyving and Leofrick to the list of Cornish bishops. We 
do not know when the former was appointed to Cornwall, 
but we learn from Florence, in the passage already quoted, 
that it was in the reign of King Eadward, that is, after 
the 8th June, 1042, and his death is variously recorded 
1 044-7. * The expression of Florence, that he joined the 
Cornish to the Devon episcopacy, by permission of that 
King, evidently implies that it was in fulfilment of Cnut's 
promise. On his death, Leofrick must, in a similar 
manner, have held both these sees as distinct bishopricks, 
until their extinction by the creation of the Exeter dio- 
cese in 1050. From 1042 to 1045, we find in the 
Charters several signatures of Lyving as Bishop of Cre- 
diton; and in 1049, of Leofrick, as bishop of the same 
see. It is true neither of them refers to the Cornish see ; 
but neither does Lyving refer to that of Worcester, which, 
we know, he held at the same time. 

From the account which William of Malmesbury has 
left us of Bishop Lyving, he appears to have been a person 
of great distinction. At first a monk at Winchester, he 
became successively Abbat of Tavistock, 2 and Bishop of 
Crediton. He was the intimate companion of King Cnut 
in his continental journeys; and with much tact and 
judgment prepared the way for that usurper's reception 
on his return to England. The concentration of three 
episcopacies in his person, was doubtless the reward of 

1 See note, page 45. 

2 This monastery is stated by William of Malmesbury to have acquired in- 
creased importance under Lyving. 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 49 

his services. His eloquence is referred to in the Saxon 
Chronicle. But William of Malmesbury calls him an 
ambitious and headstrong tyrant in the administration 
of the ecclesiastical laws ; and one who had no thought, 
but on every occasion to have his own will. The histo- 
rian adds : — 

" We have heard from our forefathers, that when he 
breathed his last, a horrible noise was heard throughout 
the whole of England, so that it was taken for the de- 
struction and end of the world. 5 ' 

This association with his decease, of some awful but 
natural phenomenon, which happened then to occur, is a 
striking proof of the lofty position which he held in the 
estimation of mankind, and perhaps of the general fear 
which his character inspired. 1 He is stated to have been 
buried at Tavistock. 

Leofrick, his successor in the Cornish and Devon sees, 
was likewise a person of great note. The Saxon C7iro- 
nicle styles him the King's Priest. He was also the King's 
High Chancellor. By birth he seems to have been a 
Breton; and he is stated, by William of Malmesbury, 
to have acquired the reputation of a great and learned 
person among the people of Lorraine. The removal of 
the see to Exeter was the act of this bishop. 2 The mo- 
nastery of Saint Peter in that city, had been founded so 
long before as the reign of King iEthelstan ; 3 and on 
the transfer of the see thither, Leofrick is stated to have 

1 Other coincidences of a similar kind are recorded in history. Of course we 
do not allude to the great event commemorated in our religion — 

" Quando Gfesu, nell' ultimo lamento 
Schiuse le tombe, e le montagne scosse" — 
which we acknowledge to be miraculous ; but we may mention that the last mo- 
ments, both of Cromwell and Bonaparte, were signalised by a tempest of extra- 
ordinary violence. 

2 William of Malmesbury and the Bodleian MS. Appendix No. VI. 
Appendix No, I. 

E 



50 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

entirely altered the constitution of the monastery, sub- 
stituting canons for monks, and introducing .rules and 
regulations for their government, such as were observed 
in Lorraine. It has been remarked that he appointed a 
steward to supply the members with their food day by 
day, and their clothing yearly. 

In the Bodleian MS. he is styled the King's Chaplain, 
and is described as a man of modest life and conversation, 
who, when he succeeded to his see, went about his dio- 
cese studiously preaching the word of God to the people 
committed to him, and instructing the clergy in learning. 
It is added that he built churches not a few, and vigor- 
ously administered the other duties of his office. Among 
the documents of the Codex Dip. we shall find a charter 
or will of this prelate, in Anglo-Saxon, the contents of 
which are of some interest : it is without date, and com- 
mences thus -, 1 — 

"Here is it witnessed, on this Christ's book, 2 what 
Leofrick, the Bishop, hath given to Saint Peter's Minster, 
at Exanceaster, where his bishop's seat is." 

It should seem, from what follows in this document, 
that the monastery, when Leofrick succeeded to it, had 
been spoiled of many of its possessions, which the bishop 
declares he had again made good, " by God's aid, and by 
his own intercession, as well as out of his own treasure." 

He then enumerates the restored estates, and men- 
tions among them " the land at Toppeshamme, notwith- 
standing that Harold had wrongfully taken it away." 

1 Appendix No. V. Cod. Dip. No. 940. 

2 This volume of the Gospels, with the document referred to written in it, is 
now in the Bodleian Library, at Oxford. Two memoranda are inserted in it, tes- 
tifying that it was Leofrick' s donation to the monastery of St. Peter, at Exeter. 
We give one : — " Hunc trextum dedifc Leofricus, Gps eecclse Sci Petri, apli in 
Gxonia, ad ufciliteafcem successorum suorum. Si quis illam absfculerit aefcernse 
suiaccat maledicfcioni. Fiat, Fiat, Fiat."— Hickes' Thesaurus, vol.ii. by Wanley, 
p. 81. 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 51 

This Harold must have been Eorl Godwine's son, 1 who 
for a few months wore the crown of England, until his 
fall at the battle of Hastings, enabled the Norman Con- 
queror to place it on his own brows. The Domesday 
Becord, compiled at the instigation of the new dynasty, 
frequently alludes to the unlawful abstraction of Church 
property by Earl Harold, whose sovereignty the Nor- 
mans were disinclined to acknowledge, and treated as a 
usurpation. 2 

Next in order the bishop details, by name, the estates 
with which he had himself endowed the monastery, " for 
his lord's soul and for his own, to support the servants of 
God, who for their souls should intercede/' 

He remarks, that when he succeeded to the monastery, 
he found no more land in its possession than two hydes 
of land at Ide ; and these with no more live stock upon 
them than seven head of cattle. He then proceeds to 
make known what further gifts, for ecclesiastical , pur- 
poses, he had conferred upon the minster. All these are 
minutely specified, and include vestments for the priest, 
articles of church furniture, and vessels for its services ; 
besides crosiers and crosses, caskets, an altar of ivory, 
cups of silver, carpets and tapestry coverings for the altar 
and throne; two large candlesticks and six smaller, all 
of ivory ; a silver censer, with silver censer-sticks ; a 
wain, chests, and coffers : and he observes, " Formerly 
there were but seven uphanging bells ; now there are 
thirteen uphanging and twelve hand bells." The former 
probably were church bells, which not long before had 
come into use. Then follows a list of the books he had 
given : — "Two full mass books, one book of collects, two 

1 Harold succeeded to his father's eorldom of West Saxony, on his death, 
a.d. 1053.— See Table of Eorls of Devon, Appendix No. VII. 

2 Sir H. Ellis's Introduction to Domesday, vol. i. p. 311 et seq. 



52 THE EPISCOPATE OP CORNWALL. 

books of the epistles, and two full singing books, and 
one even-song book, one " ad te levavi," one " tropere," 
and two psalters, and a third as they sang at Rome ; two 
of hymns, and one dear- worth blessing-book, and three 
others, and one English Christ's book, and two summer- 
reading books, and one winter-reading book ; a book of 
canons, and a Marty rology, and one canon in Latin, and 
one shrift-book in English, and one full book of homilies, 
winter and summer, and one Boethius' book, in English, 
and one great English booh with every thing wrought 
poetry-ioise!' Y He then goes on to say, " That when he 
took to the monastery, he did not find any more books 
than one capitulary, and one very old night-song, and 
one Epistle-book, and two very old reading books, of no 
value, and one worthless priest's dress." He then enu- 
merates " the many Latin books which he had given to 
the minster," nearly all on theological and ecclesiastical 
subjects, which are of interest, as representing what we 
may fairly conclude was a somewhat superior library of 
a monastic institution in the Anglo-Saxon times. 2 The 
following passage then succeeds : — "And after his day, he 
gave his capetta, together with himself, thither to be 
transferred, and with all things pertaining to the service 
of God, of which he himself was the author (or giver), 3 

1 " — be ^ehwilcurn Jpingurn on leoSpiran ^eponhr." This volume still exists, 
though damaged and imperfect, in the possession of the Dean and Chapter. 
The rare specimens of Anglo-Saxon poetry contained in it have recently excited 
the attention of the learned, and portions have been given to the world, with 
the criticisms of some of our ablest Anglo-Saxon scholars. 

2 See Appendix No. V. 

3 We give this passage in accordance with the Latin version in Dugdale's 
Monasticon, which was supplied by the learned Anglo-Saxon scholar, W. Somner. 
It is as follows : — ".Concessit suam capellam simul cum se ipso eo transferen- 
dam et omnibus ad Dei servitium pertinentibus quorum ipse author (vel dona- 
tor) erat ea lege," &c. The Saxon original is as follows : — "And ofer his dseg 
he ann his capellam Siderbinnam forS mid himsilfum on eallum Sam Singum 
Se hesilf dide mid Godes J?eninge on Sset gerad," &c. The sense of the passage, 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 53 

on the condition that the ministers of God, who should 
be there, should ever remember his soul, with their 
prayers and mass-songs, to Christ and to Saint Peter 
and to all the saints, to whom that holy minster was 
consecrated ; that his soul might be the better accepted 
by God." The instrument then concludes with the usual 
denunciation : — "And whosoever shall desire this gift and 
this donation, to take away from God and Saint Peter, 
may heaven's kingdom be taken away from him, and 
may he be for ever condemned to hell punishment." 

We have already adverted to the fact that the Cornish 
episcopate ceased when it was united with that of Devon, 
and a new diocese was created by their junction. No 
question has been raised on this point. The circum- 
stances under which that event took place, were attended 
with great pomp and ceremony, and are detailed in a 
charter of KingEadward, a.d. 1050, which we shall have 
occasion to refer to at a future stage of our inquiry. * 

We have now submitted what we believe to be the 
substance of all that can be gathered from authentic 
sources, respecting the names of the several persons who 
occupied the see of Cornwall, from the time of its Anglo- 
Saxon foundation down to the period of its final extinc- 
tion in 1050. The result of the investigation will be 
better understood by the subjoined list, which contains 
a reference to the authority for the insertion of each 

which is not very clear, seems to depend on the meaning of the word "capella" 
which, besides its ordinary one of " a chapel," was sometimes used to signify 
what was contained in it, especially the relics of saints, and the vessels and other 
articles used in the ministrations of the priests. " Rex Anglise capellam suam 
id est omnia ornamenta sacerdotalia pretiosissima et multa alia . . . prseter reli- 
quias." — Matt. Paris, an. 1242. "Capella, id est, ecclesiasticum ministerium," 
&c. — Eginhardus in Vita Caroli M. Du Cange, voce " Capella." See also 
Dr. Whitaker's Cathedral of Corniuall, vol. ii. p. 288, where, for another pur- 
pose, he has investigated the meaning of this word. 
1 Cod. Dip. No. 791. Appendix No. IV. 



54 



THE EPISCOPATE OE CORNWALL. 



name, and will thus afford the means of determining the 
degree of credit it is entitled to. We believe it to be as 
full and accurate a list of the Cornish bishops as our 
present state of knowledge will admit of being exhibited. 
It falls short of the total number (eleven) mentioned by 
Leland, from which we may infer a deficiency in the list, 
which remains to be supplied. 

A List of the Cornish Bishops, so far as they are known, 



Names. 



1. 


Conan . . . 


2. 


^Ethel[geard] 


3. 


Cemoere . . 

or 
Comoere. 


4. 


^Ithelstan . 


5, 


Wulfsige . . 


6. 


Ealdred . . 


7. 


Mthelred . . 


8. 


Buruliwold . 



9. Lyving 



10. Leofrick 



Dates. 



In the time of King iEthelstan, 
925-940, when the see is 
thought to have been created. 



In the time of King Eadred, 
946-955. 

In the time of King Eadgar, 
959-975. 



Ditto . 

Ditto ......... 

In the time of King iEthelred, 
978-1016. 

Ditto 

(Qy. the same person as the last.) 

In the time of King Cnut, 1016- 
1035. 
(He died in the reign of King 
Eadward.) 

In the time of King Eadward, 
1042-1066. 
(He died 1046.) 

Ditto . 

He succeeded Lyving, and was 

translated to Exeter when that 

see was established, a.d. 1050. 

(He died in the reign of Wm. I., 

a.d. 1071. Bodl. MS.) 



Atjthoeities. 



Leland. A bishop of simi- 
lar name will be found, 
at this period, in the 
Codex Dip. 

Records of Saint Petrock- 
stowe. 

Ditto. 



A Charter, dated a.d. 966, 

Eecords of Saint Petrock- 
stowe. 

Four Charters, dated 993- 
997. 

A Charter, dated 1001. 



Eecords of Saint Petrock- 

stowe. 
A Charter, dated 1018. 
Flor. of Worcester. 
Wm. of Malmesbury. 

Flor. of Worcester. 
Wm. of Malmesbury. 
Saxon Chronicle. 



Chronicle. 
Flor. of Worcester. 
Wm. of Malmesbury. 
Bodl. MS. 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 



We have noticed in a former chapter, that Florence of 
Worcester has left us a list of the Crediton bishops. 
This list we have thought it desirable to test by the aid 
of the charters in the Codex Dip.; and we are gratified in 
rinding the result to be satisfactory ; in fact these docu- 
ments furnish us with a series of the Crediton bishops 
almost as complete as that of Florence. As the subject 
is not altogether irrelevant to our inquiry, and indeed is 
capable of casting a reflected light upon it, we subjoin 
the names of the bishops, as we find them in the Codex, 
referring to the several documents, where they are to be 
found, with their dates, and placing the series side by side 
with that given by Florence, the accuracy of which it 
sustains. The list given by Bishop Godwin e will be 
found to differ from it very materially, both in names 
and dates ; but it would lead us too far away from our 
subject to dwell upon the points of variance. 

A List of the Crediton Bishops. 



From the Charters in the Codex Dip. 

Charters wherein they are named. 
1. Eadulphus a.d. 933 No. 362. 1 



2. ^Ethelgar . 

3. Alfwold 3 . 
Alfwold . 

4. Alurio . . 

5. Sideman. 4 . 



a.d. 935 
949 

A.D. 964 
966 

a.d. 969 

(Died 977) 



No. 1112. 
425. 



No. 



1251. 

528. 



No. 555. 

Sax. Chron. 
Flor. ofWor. 



From Florence of Worcestei 



1. Eadulf. 

2. ^thelgar. 

3. Alfwold. 

4. Sideman. 

5. Alfric. 



He succeeded 

Archbishop 

Dunstan. 2 



1 We give this charter in the Appendix No. XI. Florence of Worcester as- 
signs the date of a.d. 931 to Eadulph's death, which is clearly erroneous. 

2 This is an error of Florence. iEthelgar, who succeeded Dunstan, was 
another personage : Archbishop Dunstan died 988. — See Sax. Chron. iEthelgar, 
Bishop of Crediton, died in that see a.d. 953, and in the twenty-first of his pon- 
tificate. — Flor. of Wor. 

3 He died a.d. 972, according to Florence ; but this date would exclude 
Aluric, unless we placed him, as Florence has done, after Sideman, rejecting the 
evidence of the charter, for which there seems no good reason. 

4 This person is probably the same mentioned by Florence, as appointed Abbat 
of the Exeter Monastery, a.d. 968. Lyving was Abbat of Tavistock when he 



56 



THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL, 



A List of the Crediton Bishops — (continued). 



From the Charters in the Codex Dip. 

Charters wherein they are named. 



6. Alfwold . 
Alfwold . 
Alfwold . 
^Elfuuold 
^lfuuold 
JElfwold . 
Alwoto . 

7. ^Elfeod . 

8. Eadnoth . 

9. Lyfingus . 

10. Leofrick . 



a.d. 988 
993 
995 
995 
996 
997 
1001 

a.d. 1004 

A.D. 1015 

a.d. 1042 
Several others, 
the last 1045.' 

a.d. 1049 



No. 665. 

684. 

688. 
1289. 
1292. 

698V 

706. 

No. 709. 

No. 1310. 

No. 763. 

781. 

No. 786. 



From Florence of Worcester, 
6. Alfwold. 



7. Alfwoldus 

8. Eadnoth. ! 

9. Lyvingus. j 

10. Leofric. 



Before we dismiss the Crediton Bishops, we are de- 
sirous of adding some few remarks upon the catalogue 
given above, to obviate the possibility of misconception 
respecting it. 

On examining the contents of the Codex, the signa- 
ture of a Crediton bishop will be found in a charter 
of so early a date as that of Coenuulf, King of Mercia, 
a.d. 811. The signature is : — 

" I, Eaduulf, bishop [of Crediton], have consented and 
subscribed/' 2 



was appointed to the Crediton see. One of the MSS. of Florence states that 
Sideman succeeded Alfuuold a.d. 972, and that Alfricus succeeded Sideman 
a.d. 977. But the evidence of the charter No. 555 impugns the correctness of 
these statements, and will probably be preferred. A Bishop Sydeman will be 
found named in a charter of 966 (No. 518), but his see is not named ; so, too, 
in 967 (No. 536). Were there two Crediton bishops of this name ? 

1 See note page 45. 

2 "Ego, Eaduulfus [Cridiatunensis], episcopus consensi et subscripsi." 



NAMES OF THE BISHOPS. 57 

To the same charter is likewise appended the signature 
of a Bishop of Exeter, thus : — 

" I, Uuignoth, Bishop [of Exeter], have consented and 
subscribed." 1 

The glaring anachronism of these entries is manifest. 
The Crediton episcopacy commenced, as we have seen, 
about a hundred years after the date of this charter; 
and that of Exeter nearly two centuries and a half after 
it ; and, indeed, one succeeded the other, which made it 
impossible that they could be contemporaneous. This 
difficulty is, however, easily surmounted ; for Mr. Kemble 
informs us (in a note), that all the names of the sees are 
interpolated throughout the charter, by being written 
between the lines ; and, he adds, " in an sequseval hand." 
But, as we cannot conceive the names of the sees to have 
been inserted before they had been created, we must 
assign the interpolation, if not the transcription of the 
entire document, to a date some centuries later than the 
one it bears. 

Bishop Sideman we cannot point out in the Charters 
with any certainty, but we learn from the Saxon Chronicle 
that he died Bishop of Devon, a.d. 977. The passage is 
as follows : — 

"A. 977. — This year over Easter was the great gemote 
at Kyrtling-tun, and there died Bishop Sideman by a 
sudden death, on the 2nd of the calends of May. He 
was bishop in Devonshire, and he desired that the resting- 
place of his body should be at Crediton, at his episcopal 
seat. Then commanded King Eadward and Archbishop 
Dunstan, that he should be borne to Saint Mary's Minster, 
which is at Abbendon ; and so too was it done ; and he 

1 "Ego, Uuignothus [Exoniensis], episcopus consensi et subscripsi." — Cod. 
Dip. No. 197. 



58 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL, 

is, moreover, honorably buried on the north side in St, 
Paul's Chapel." 1 

With the exception of this bishop, all in Florence's 
list are also found in the Codex. It will be seen that 
Nos. 4 and 5 are transposed by Florence, Aluric being 
the same name as Alfric. 2 It is pretty clear that Nos. 6 
and 7, in Florence's list, are the same person ; and we 
presume as much of the same numbers in our own, the 
words being spelt very variously in the Charters. Indeed, 
No. 7 is omitted in some of the ancient copies of Florence, 
and wholly omitted in William of Malmesbury, whose 
catalogue, in every other respect, is coincident with that 
of the other historian. 

We shall now proceed, in the following chapter, to con- 
sider the place where the Cornish bishops had their seat : 
a subject which has given rise, as already mentioned, to 
some controversy. 

1 "An. DCCCCLXXVII. J>eji pser pset myccle semdt ser Kyntlms-tune 
open Saptnon, anb psen popiSpenbe Sibeman bipceop on hnseblican beacSe. on 

• a- Jcal. 00 ai. Se peer Depna-pcijie bipceop. anb he pilnobe J>set hip lic-jisepc 
pceolbe beon set; Ejubianfcune set hip bipceop-ptole. Da bet Gabjeanb cmg. 
anb Dunptan ancebipceop, pset: hme man pepiebe to Sea. OOanian OOynptpie, 
J^set: lp set Sbbanbune ; anb man eac ppa bybe. anb be ip eac ajipypicSlice be- 
byn^eb on pa non$-healpe on Sep. Paulup popitice." — Sax. Chron. 

2 The "u" must be read as " y," and that as equivalent to "f." JElfred the 
Great sometimes signs his name " Alured" and " JElured." 



59 



CHAPTER IV. 

The Place of the Cornish See according to modern and ancient authorities — 
St. Germans or St. Petrock's— Dispute as to the site of the latter — Whether 
Bodmin or Padstow — Proved to be Bodmin — Bodmin Monastery resting on 
historic testimony — That at Padstow solely on conjecture — Evidences in 
favour of each view — Story of the body of St. Petrock clandestinely removed 
from Bodmin and taken to France — Again restored — Padstow not the ancient 
name. 

Camden, and our earliest county historians, Carew and 
Nor den, speak of Saint Petrock's Monastery at Bodmin 
as the place where the Cornish bishops had their seat ; 
and they inform us that it was removed, on the destruc- 
tion of that place by the Danes, to Saint Germans. The 
learned Dr. Whitaker has, however, written a voluminous 
work, bearing the title of The Ancient Cathedral of Corn- 
wall, the object of which is to prove that it was never 
placed at Saint Petrock's, but was at Saint Germans from 
the first creation of the bishoprick until its final extinc- 
tion, by being united with that of Devon. Whatever 
opinion may be entertained of the style and tone in which 
this work is written, it is impossible not to bear testimony 
to the multifarious learning and great research which dis- 
tinguish it, as well as to the singular acumen with which 
the author deals with every part of the subject. 

To enable us to understand this disputed question, we 
must direct our attention to the various authorities which 
bear upon it, and, after weighing carefully their import, 
we shall be better prepared to determine what conclusion 
may be legitimately drawn. 

The almost cotemporaneous record of the Sawon Chro- 
nicle will not supply us with any information for our 



60 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

guidance ; but the Chronicle of Florence of Worcester, 
written shortly after the termination of the Cornish epis- 
copate, contains the following passage : — 

" The Kings of the West Saxons ruled in the districts 
of Wiltshire, and Berkshire, and Dorsetshire," — " and in 
Domnania, which is called Devonshire, and in Cornubia, 
which is now called Cornwall — and there were then two 
bishopricks : one at Crediton, and the other at Saint 
German us; now there is one, and its seat is at Exeter." 1 

The Chronicles of William of Malmesbury, as we have 
already observed, in point of date, shortly afterwards 
succeeded to that of Florence ; and in his history of the 
Kings of England we find a passage, in language identical 
with that just extracted from Florence, whose text has 
been evidently adopted by the historian. 2 But in another 
work, by the same author, on the English Prelates, he 
states the fact differently, and as follows : — 

" The episcopal seat was at Saint Petrocus the Confes- 
sor. The place is among the Northern Britons, upon the 
sea, near a river which is called He'gelmithe. Some say 
that it was at Saint Germanus, near the river Liner, upon 
the sea in the south." 3 

It will be observed that in the former of these passages 
both these historians agree in asserting Saint Germans 
to have been the seat of the Episcopate ; but in the latter, 

1 "Reges West-Saxonum dominabantur in Wiltescire et Berkescire et Dorset- 
ensi pagis, &c. — et in Domnania quae Devenescire dicitur et in Cornubia quse 
nunc Cornugallia dicitur : erantque tunc duo episcopatus unus in Cridetuna et 
alter apud Sanctum Grermanum nunc est unus et est sedes ejus Exonige." This 
passage is found in the Appendix to Florence's Chronicle. It exists in all the 
ancient MSS., and no doubt has been expressed of its genuineness. 

2 Gesta Reg. Angl. lib. i. c. 6. 

3 Cornubiensium sane Pontificum succiduum ordinem nee scio nee appono 
nisi quod apud Sanctum Petrocum confessorem fuerit episcopatus sedes. Locus 
est apud aquilonalcs Brittones supra mare juxta flumen quod dicitur Hegel- 
mithe. Quidam dicunt fuisse ad Sanctum Germanii juxta flumen Liner supra 
mare in au&trali parte.' ' — De Gest. Pont. lib. ii. 






THE PLACE OF THE SEE. 61 

the historian of Malmesbury speaks of it doubtingly, and 
appears to incline in favour of Saint Petrock. It happens, 
however, somewhat unfortunately, that at the very thresh- 
old of this inquiry, we are embarrassed with another 
disputed question. Where are we to find Saint Petrock? 
At Bodmin, or at Padstow ? It will be necessary, there- 
fore, to consider this subordinate question before we can 
proceed further with the main subject of our inquiry. 

The earliest historic notice of Saint Petrockstowe is, 
we believe, that in the Saxon Chronicle, under the date of 
a.d. 981. It is as follows : — 

" In this year Saint Petrock's-stowe was ravaged, and 
that same year was much harm done every where, by the 
seacoast, as well among the men of Devon as among the 
Welsh." 1 [Cornu- Welsh, or Cornish.] 

In Florence of Worcester we find the same fact thus 
recorded :— 

" An. 981.— The Monastery of Saint Petrock the Con- 
fessor, in Cornwall, was devastated by the pirates, who, 
in the preceding year, had devastated Southampton, and 
afterwards in Devon, and even in Cornwall, they made 
frequent spoil along the seacoasts." 2 

This Saint Petrock's-stowe has been usually accepted 
as the monastery referred to by William of Malmesbury 
in the passage just now quoted ; and our historians have 

1 "An. DCCCCLXXXI. freji on pyy £eane. p ffi j- See Pefcnocep rtop poa- 
hen^ot). anb by llcan geane peer micel heanm gebon jehpsen be pam pse-niman. 
segSeji. £e on Depenum, ^e on pealum." — Sax. Chron. 

The Anglo-Saxons designated the native Britons by the term " Wealas," or 
"Welsh, that is, "foreigners." Such of them as occupied the angle of Eoman 
Damnonia, they called the " Corn- wealas," that is, the Cornu- Welsh, or Cornish ; 
hence " Cornwall," i. e., " Cornu- Wales." 

2 " DCCCCLXXXI. Sancti Petroci confessoris monasterium, in Cornubia, de- 
vastatum est a piratis, qui anno prseterito Suthamptoniam devastarunt, qui 
deinde in Domnania, et in ipsa Cornubia, circa ripas maris frequentes preedas 
agebant. — Flor, Wig. Chron. 



62 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

been accustomed to identify it with the well-known 
monastery of that name at Bodmin. 

More recently, however, and especially since Dr. 
Whitaker's work, doubts have been entertained of the 
correctness of this view; and it is now not unusual to 
find, even in works of great authority, that Padstow is 
referred to as the site of Saint Petrock's. It seems to us 
that these doubts rest on no solid foundaton, and that, 
until we have more cogent evidence than is now in our 
possession, we are not justified in departing from the 
opinions of our early county historians. 

It is true that the description of its site, given by the 
Malmesbury historian, would seem, on a cursory view, 
to indicate Padstow ; but when attentively considered, it 
will be found not inapplicable to Bodmin, where a monas- 
tery of Saint Petrock is known to have existed. Nor did 
Camden, or the other historians we have just now referred 
to, express so much as the slightest doubt or suspicion 
on this point. The term " Northern Britons " means, of 
course, the Cornish-Britons, dwelling on the north side 
of the county. By " Hegelmithe" 1 is signified " Hayle- 
mouth," that is, the estuary of the Hayle, by which name 
there is abundant proof that the Padstow river was 

1 The Anglo-Saxon "g" was generally dropped as the language became trans- 
muted into modern English. " Mitlie," " gemythe," or "mutha," was used by 
the Saxons, not only for the mouth of a river, but for a narrow sea, or strait, 
and for an estuary. The usual name of the Padstow river is the Alan, Cam- 
alan, or Camel, which it bore in Anglo-Saxon times ; but that it was sometimes 
called the Hel, or Hayle, we have possibly some evidence in the manor of Hel- 
ston, the parishes of Helland, and Egloshayle, all on its banks, and Hel bay at 
its mouth. In the 30th Edw. I. proceedings under a quo warranto were taken 
against the Prior of Bodmin, to know on what grounds he claimed the fishery 
in the "Waters of Aleyn and Eyle." — (See Appendix No. X.) We find the 
same appellation applied in Cornwall to other rivers, as at Hayle St. Ives, and 
the Helford river near Helston. It has therefore been conjectured that it is con- 
nected with the Cornish word " Halen," salt, and the Greek "AAf, a\bg, either 
salt or the sea. It would seem, therefore, to signify either a river which flowed 
into an estuary of the sea, or else the estuary itself where the salt water flowed . 



THE PLACE OF THE SEE. 63 

sometimes designated in remote times. It flows by Bod- 
min at the distance of about a mile ; and the estuary, into 
which it pours its waters, approaches within six miles of 
that place. The expression " on the sea/' it must be 
admitted, is somewhat loose for an inland town like Bod- 
min ; but the historian uses the same expression for Saint 
Germans, which also is some miles inland. We must 
bear in mind that he was not defining the site with 
geographical precision, but indicating only, in a general 
way, the part of the county where these two monasteries 
lay. It is but probable that the defective state of the 
roads in that early age, made internal communication 
difficult, and gave occasion to those monastic houses 
being generally visited by water. It would, in this case, 
be quite natural, that the historian should associate them 
with the coast, and the arm of the sea by which they 
were approached. 

It is obvious, then, that from this description of its 
site, we cannot decide between the rival claims of Padstow 
and Bodmin, inasmuch as it is suitable to either place. 
We must seek a solution of this question elsewhere. The 
conclusion we have come to in favour of Bodmin rests on 
grounds which we will now submit, and which appear to 
us to be sustained by the two following propositions : — 

1. That the existence of the monastery of Saint Petrock 
at Bodmin can be traced back with almost absolute cer- 
tainty to a period but little short of the reign of King 
iEthelstan, when the Cornish bishoprick is supposed to 
have originated ; and traditionally even to a much higher 
date. 

2. That we have no positive proof that a monastery 
of Saint Petrock at Padstow ever existed : the belief in 
it being founded on nothing more than a plausible 
conjecture. 



64 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL, 

In treating of the first branch of this subject, it will 
not be necessary to offer proofs of a modern date. The 
existence of the Bodmin monastery, for ages antecedent 
to the reign of Henry VIII. . when it shared the common 
fate of all similar institutions in this country, will, we 
presume, not be called in question. We propose to take 
it up at the Norman Conquest, or rather at the epoch of 
the Domesday survey. This ancient record was com- 
pleted a.d. 10S0, 1 twenty years after the Conquest : and, 
on referring to its pages, we shall find, under the division 
of " Cornvalge/'" 2 or Cornwall, the following entry: — 

" The church of Saint Petroc holds Bodmine. There 
is one hide of land which was never taxed. The land is 
four carucates. There five villani have two ploughs with 
six bordarii. There are thirty acres of pasture, and six 
acres of small wood. There Saint Petroc has sixtv-eight 
houses and one market. The whole is worth twenty- 
five shillings. " 3 

Immediately afterwards follows a list of the other 
landed possessions of Saint Petrock in Cornwall, at the 
end of which is the following note : — 

"All the above-described lands Saint Petroc held in 
the time of King Edward.'"'" 4 

In the Exeter copy 5 of Domesday, the same fact is re- 

1 Sir IE. Ellis' Introd. to Dom. vol. i. p. 4. 

2 The last two letters appear to be a Norman equivalent for " le" or iJ ie." 
Observe "Ecclesia de Labatailge," in Domesday for Battle Abbey. In :_r 
Exeter copy we hare " CORNY GralLTE.'" 

3 Eccla S. Petroc ten Bodmine. Ibi e una hida tra? quae numq geldau. Tra e 
nil. car. Ibi Y. villi hnt n. car cu VI. bord. Ibi XXX. ae pasturae k TI, ■«: 
siluae minutae. Ibi lit S. Petroc LXTin. dom &. un mercatu. Totu valet XXV. 
solid." 

4 "OmB supine descriptas tras teneb T. R, E. Bcs. Pc-rrocus." 

5 This is a partial copy of the surrey preserved at Exeter, and relates to the 
five western counties. It is more detailed than the National Record kept at 
the Exchequer, and is thought to be a transcript of the original return of the 
Commissioners, from which the Exchequer copy for that part of the kingdom 



THE PLACE OF THE SEE. 65 

corded in somewhat different terms, which we therefore 
give :— 

" Saint Petroc has one manor, which is called Bodmine, 
which the same saint held on the day on which King 
Edward was alive and dead. 1 In it, there is one hide of 
land, which at no time paid tax. This four ploughs can 
plough. Upon that land there are five villani, who have 
two ploughs, and six bordarii, and five acres of small 
wood, and thirty acres of pasture, and in the same manor 
Saint Petroc has sixty-and-eight houses, and one market, 
and the whole together is worth, by the year, twenty-five 
shillings." 2 

It would divert us too far from our subject if we were 
to enter upon the consideration of these extracts, and the 
strange terms which they contain, so as to examine their 
import in detail. To the antiquary and historian they 
are sufficiently familiar. For our purpose, it is enough 
that we can gather from them, with the most perfect con- 
fidence, that the monastery of Saint Petrock possessed 
the town of Bodmin, not only when the record was 
drawn up, but likewise in the reign of King Eadward, 
that is, antecedently to the Conquest. The monastery of 

was abridged. There is also a copy for Cambridge and Hertford, which was 
preserved in the monastery of Ely. — See Sir H. Ellis' Introd. 

1 The expression "ea die qua BexEdwardus fuit vivus et mortuus" is stated 
by Sir H. Ellis to be peculiar to the Exeter copy, being rarely met with in the 
great Domesday. In the Ely copy it runs, " tempore regis iEdwardi et in morte." 
—Sir H. Ellis' Introd. See also Charter No. 897 of the Codex, where will be 
found the same formula, " on Sam timan cSe Eadwerd cing waes cucu and dead." 
Was this phraseology a Norman importation ? It savours of the language of 
our lawyers at this day, " Whereas A.TJ. was in his lifetime, and also at the time 
of his death, seized," &c. 

2 " Sanctus Petrocus habet i mansionem que vocatur Bodmine quam tenuit 
idem Sanctus ea die qua rex Edwardus fuit vivus et mortuus. In ea est i hida 
terre que nullo tempore reddidit gildum. Hanc possunt arare iiii carruce. In ea 
terra sunt v villani qui habent ii carrucas et vi bordarii et v agri nemusculi et 
xxx agri pascue et in eadem mansione habet Sanctus Petrochus lx et viii doraos 
et i mercatum et istud totum insimul valet per annum xxv solidos, 

F 



66 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

Saint Petrock is here represented to us in immediate 
connection with the town of Bodmin. Its landed pos- 
sessions, as enumerated in Domesday, are, in part, such 
as were possessed by the Bodmin monastery at the time 
of its dissolution • and the identity of the two cannot 
possibly admit of any question. It would be as bold as 
it would be illogical, to aver that these entries might, not- 
withstanding, relate to a Petrock-stowe at Padstow ; nor 
do we think it necessary to combat such an extravagant 
opinion. The rent-roll of its estates attests its wealth 
and consequent importance ; and we cannot wonder that 
it should have offered a tempting prize to the ocean free- 
booters, who, we are told, devastated Saint Petrocks-stowe 
about a century before the date of this record. 

We will now proceed to show what evidences there 
are of the Bodmin monastery of a still higher date. 

In the 57th year of King Henry III., that monarch 
granted a charter to the Prior and Canons of Bodmin, 
which recites, by inspeximus, another charter of so early 
a date as the reign of King Eadred, whereby the latter 
" granted and confirmed for ever to our beloved in Christ, 
the Prior and Canons of Bodmin, the manor of Newton, 
with the appurtenances, in the county of Devon, free 
from all services except prayers to God;" which grant 
King Henry further confirmed to the Prior and Canons, 
and released them from all suit to the hundred of Shefbir 
(Shebbear), in which the property was situated. 1 

In the reign of Edward I., proceedings were taken 
against the Prior of Bodmin, to compel suit to the 
hundred of Shebbear, and the prior, in answer, proffers 
the charter of King Henry ; and the validity of the de- 
fence appears to have been admitted. 2 

1 Appendix No. VIII. 2 Appendix No. X. 



THE PLACE OF THE SEE. 67 

In corroboration of this evidence it will be found, on 
referring to the Domesday Survey, that the manor of New- 
ton, in Devon, was then held by " the priests of Bomene." l 
So, too, at the time of the suppression of the monastery, 
in the reign of Henry YIIL, the same manor, then dis- 
tinguished as " Newton Saint Petrock," was still a part 
of its possessions. 3 

The Prior and Canons of Bodmin are thus recognised 
so early as the reign of King Eadred [a.d. 946-55], 
which commenced bat six years only after the death of 
King JEthelstan. 

In addition to this testimony, we have that of the 
manumissions at the altar of Saint Petrock, which we 
have already had occasion to refer to. They record 
transactions which took place at " the altar of Saint 
Petrock" which, it may be gathered from them, was 
within a minster or conventual church. Two of the 
entries refer expressly to Bodmin, 3 as a town situated 
close to it, and we can scarcely avoid the inference that 
they all relate to the Bodmin monastery. 

1 " Prbi de Eomene ten Holecome, &c. 

Ipsi pbri ten Kiwetone, q geld p. una hida," &c. — Domesday Survey. 

2 Valor Ecclesiasticus, temp. Hen. Till. 

u Prioratus de Bodmyn 
In comitatu Devonie 

Newton Petrok. redditus et firme £7 9 6 

Holcomb. redditus et firme 5 1 I! 

3 The following is one of the entries, with a translation: — " Her ky cS on Sissere 
bee <$£et iEilsig bohte anne wifmann OngynecSel hatte and hire sunuGfySiccsel set 
Durcilde mid healfe p uncle, set fcsere ciriean dura on Bod mine and sealde iEilsige 
portgereua and Maccosse hundredes mann IIII. pengas to tolle ; 5a ferde iEilsig 
to c5e $a men bohte and nam hig and freode upp an Petrocys weofede, aefre 
sacles, on gewitnesse Sissa godera manna ; Saet wees Isaac, messepreost ; and 
BleScuf, messepreost ; and Wunning, messepreost ; and Wulfger, messepreost ; 
and Grifiu<5, messepreost ; and Noe, messepreost ; and WurtSiciS, messepreost j 
and iEilsig, diacon ; and Maccos and TeSion Modredis sunu, and Kynilm, and 
Beorlaf, and Dirling, and Gratcant, and Talan. And gif hwa Sas freot abreee, 
hebbe him wi<5 Criste gemene. Amen." — Cod. Dip. vol. iv. p. 313. 

" Here is it made known in this book that iEilsig bought a woman named 



68 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

The earliest dates which admit of being assigned to 
this record, are derived from entries of two manumissions 
made by King Eadmund himself at the altar ; l and they, 
consequently, furnish us with proof of the existence of the 
monastery at Bodmin antecedently to the reign of King 
Eadred, and nearly so far back as the supposed date of 
its Saxon foundation. 2 

Quitting the safe track of historic evidence and written 
records, we must now resort to less trustworthy sources, 

Leland, writing in the time of Henry VIII., has pre- 
served certain accounts regarding Saint Petrock and this 
monastery, which, he says, were transcribed from the 
ancient charters of endowment. But we have great 
doubt of Leland himself having seen these charters, and 
even of their existence in his day. We are, therefore, not 
disposed to look at these statements in any other light 
than as so many traditions, whatever value may belong to 
them in that character, and although they may have been 
long reduced to writing, and preserved at the monastery. 

Ongynethel, and her son Grythiccael, of Thurcilde, for half a pound, at the church- 
door in Bodmin, and gave iEilsige the portreeve and Maccos the hundred-man 
fourpence as toll. Then went iEilsig, who bought the serfs, and took them and 
freed them at Petrock's altar, ever sacless [exempt from jurisdiction or control], 
by the witness of these good men, that is, Isaac, mass-priest ; Blethcuf, mass- 
priest; and Wunning, mass-priest; and Wulfger, mass-priest; and Grrifiuth, mass- 
priest ; and Noe, mass-priest ; and Wurthicith, mass-priest ; and iEilsig, 
deacon ; and Maccos, and Tethion, Modred's son, and Kynilm, and Beorlaf, and 
Dirling, and Gratcant, and Talan. And if any one break this freedom, may he 
account for it to Christ. Amen." 

1 " Hsec sunt nomina mulierum, Medhuil, Adlgun, quas liberauit Uadmunt rex 
super altare Sancti Petroci palam istis testibus, Cangueden diaconus, Eyt cleri- 
cus, Anaoc, Tithert." 

" Hsec sunt nomina hominum quos liberauit Eadmund rex pro anima sua 
super altare Sancti Petroci, Tancwoystel, WenerieS, coram istis testibus," &c. 
— Cod. Dip. vol. iv. 

2 There is also a charter purporting to contain a grant of " Mwantune " to 
Saint Petrock, by King iEthelstan. Unfortunately it bears the incongruous 
date of a.d. DCLXX., which induced Wanley to pronounce it a forgery ; for 
this reason wo have been unwilling to rely on it, but we shall probably revert 
to it in the Appendix. 



THE PLACE OF THE SEE. 69 

Their purport is as follows : — That Saint Petrock, when 
he came into Cornwall, succeeded to the possession of a 
little hermitage, which Saint Guron resigned to him. 
That Saint Petrock thereupon betook himself to a mo- 
nastic life, following the rule of St. Benedict at " Bod- 
mina," which then took that name : Bosmanna signifying 
the dwelling of the monks. That the rule of St. Benedict 
was maintained there until the time of King iEthelstan. 
This king is designated the first founder of the monastery, 
which can only be reconciled with the previous statement, 
on the supposition that he was the first to endow it, or 
else that he changed its constitution. 1 

Elsewhere, referring to the priory church at Bodmin, 
Leland observes, that Saint Petrock was patron of it, and 
" sometime dwely'd ther." " That the shrine and tumbe 
of Saint Petrok yet stondeth in th'est parte of the 
chirche." 2 The saint is stated, by Leland, to have been 
a Welshman ; and, according to Usher, he came into 
Cornwall a.d. 518 : a date, be it observed, preceding by 
some centuries the establishment of the Saxon power in 
that county. Without attaching undue importance to 
the statements preserved by Leland, if we take them in 
conjunction with the strictly historic testimony already 
adduced, it is not unreasonable to conclude, that the Bod- 
min, monastery was either taken under the patronage of 

1 " Haec quse sequuntur transcripta sunt 
ex antiquis Donationum chartis." 

"S. Petrocus monasticam professus vitam sub regulaD. Benedicti apudBod- 
lninam tunc temporis vocatum. 

" Bosmanna id est mansio monachorum in valle ubi S. Guronus solitarie de- 
gens in parvo tugurio quod relinquens tradidit S. Petroco. 

" Quam regulam usque ad tempus Athelstani monasticse dieatam disciplinse 
monachi ibidem tenuerunt. 

" An° 926. Primus fundator JEthelstanus."— Lei. Collect, torn i. 75. 

We have some doubt of " Bosmanna " being the true etymon of Bodmin, but 
it would be out of place to enter upon this subject here. 

2 Lei. Itin. 



70 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL, 

the Sax oils soon after the entire subjugation of Cornwall 
by King iEthelstan, or otherwise that it was then first 
founded by them. 

The fact which Leland records, of the shrine and tomb 
of Saint Petrock yet standing in the church at Bodmin, 
is not without significancy as an evidence of St. Petrock's 
residence and burial at that place. In corroboration of 
this fact, we may mention, that there is a curious story 
preserved in the annals of Roger de Hoveden, that in 
the year 1177, the body of Saint Petrock was clandes- 
tinely carried away from the monastery by one Martin, 
a canon regular of the same house ; and taken to the 
Abbey of Saint Meen, in Brittany, then part of the pos- 
sessions of the English crown. Upon this being discovered, 
Roger, who was then prior of Bodmin, and the better 
disposed portion of the chapter, complained to the King 
(Henry II.), who commanded the body to be restored. 
The abbat and his brethren, under fear of the King's 
displeasure, at once complied with the royal mandate, and 
delivered the body of the saint to Roger, making oath at 
the same time, " upon the holy evangelists, and upon the 
relics of the saints, that they had restored the identical 
body unchanged, and in an entirely perfect state." 1 

The existence of the Bodmin monastery, from a very 
early period, has now been substantiated by undoubted 

1 Mr. D. Gfilbert, in his History of Cornwall, under " Bodmin," gives the 
account of this transaction as narrated by Benedictus Abbas, which agrees with 
that in Roger de Hoveden. 

"We must leave to the reader to reconcile as best he can the above story with 
the fact that there is preserved in the Bodleian Library a numerous inventory of 
relics, said to have been given to St. Peter's monastery by King JEthelstan, 
among which will be found "part of St. Petrock's bones, and of his hair, and 
of his clothes " [" oj: S. Petrnocer banum -) oj: hi r fexe *} oj: hij" cla&on"]. 

This curious document is too long for insertion in this work, but we give in 
the Appendix No. I. the introductory part, as illustrating not only the super- 
stitious veneration then paid to relics, but the naive and simple style of writing 
then in use. 



THE PLACE OF THE SEE. 71 

testimonies, and placed before us in a distinct and palpable 
form. Let us now turn from this well-authenticated his- 
tory, to consider what may be said in favour of a monas- 
tery of Saint Petrock at Padstow. 

It is asserted by Camden, and solely, as it should 
seem, on the authority of legends preserved in the life of 
the saint, that " Padstow " is a corruption of " Petrock- 
stowe," Saint Petrock having sometime dwelt there. In 
like manner, it is asserted by Usher, that Saint Petrock 
dwelt there. We may at once observe that these state- 
ments are contradicted by the legend, as preserved by 
Leland ; from which we learn that Bodmin was the place 
where that saint fixed his abode. Dr. Borlase, to recon- 
cile these accounts — which at best, as historic testimony, 
are of no great value — supposes that the monks, for 
better security against pirates, removed from Padstow 
to Bodmin. Dr. Whitaker, on the other hand, believes 
that King iEthelstan founded a monastery of Saint 
Petrock, both at Padstow and Bodmin. It will not be 
necessary for us to discuss at length these different 
views, for the following reasons. It does not appear to 
be asserted by either of these authors, that the see of 
Cornwall was ever placed at Padstow. For Dr. Borlase, 
who supposes a removal from that place to Bodmin, 
assigns the event to a date preceding the creation of the 
Cornish episcopate; and Dr. Whitaker, who supposes two 
monasteries of Saint Petrock, contends that the see never 
was at Saint Petrock' s at all. 1 It is however to be ob- 
served, that from other traditional accounts, preserved 
in the lives of the saints, it appears that Saint Patrick 
also is said to have landed at Padstow, a.d. 432, 2 in 
commemoration of which, a church, bearing his name, was 

1 Cathedral of Cornwall, vol. i. 30, 32, 45, 46, 60, 69. 

2 Borlase' s Antiquities of Cornwall. 



72 THE EPISCOPATE OE CORNWALL. 

there afterwards founded. 1 The resemblance between 
his name and Padstow, or Paddestow, will probably be 
deemed more striking than that of Saint Petrock ; and 
we may therefore, with as much reason, attribute the 
name of Padstow to the former as to the latter saint — 
a suggestion thrown out by Borlase. We have great 
doubts however of the name of Padstow being really of 
ancient origin. It does not appear capable of being 
traced back many centuries. The older English appel- 
lation is admitted to be "Aldestowe," that is, the " Old- 
stowe;" 2 and the still older Cornish name, "Laffenack," 
which Dr. Borlase conjectures may signify either the 
church of stone or the church of the monks. In these 
names we seem to descry some faint traces of a church 
or monastic institution in ancient times ; but when or 
by whom founded, or to whom dedicated, we have no 
means of ascertaining. Leland appears to have been 
unable to inform us of the name of the patron saint of 
Padstow Church, inasmuch as he has left it uninserted 
in his text. It is usual, however, to assign it to Saint 

1 — "cum S. Patricius, a Celestino Papa missus, Hibernicos ad Mem Christi 
convertisset, atque eos in fide solidasset Britaniarn rediit et in portum quiHaile- 
mout nuncupatur appulit, ob cujus reverentiani, sanctitatisque excellentiam 
ibidem statuitur ecclesia S. Patricii nomine, propter ejus merita et frequentia 
miracula insignita." — Us7ier, 369. 

Dr. Whitaker, to get rid of this testimony, insists that the story belongs of 
right to St. Petrock, and not to St. Patrick; the supposed error having arisen 
from a mistake of the name. — Cath. of Corn. rol. i. p. 33, note ; ii. p. 287. 

2 Leland was informed that the name was "Adelstow," i.e. locus "Athelstani," 
as though that King had founded it ; but from various evidences it can be 
shown that the name was " Aldestoive." In former times there seems to have 
been a prevailing desire in Cornwall to claim an origin from King iEthelstan. 
St. Germans, Bodmin, Padstow, and St. Berian, have all asserted such a claim. 
There is a charter purporting to be King iEthelstan's, founding St. Berian's 
Church, but apparently spurious. It was clearly the impression that bis reign 
was the earliest date which could be assigned to the English authority in Corn- 
wall. Padstow is admitted to be taxed by the name of " Aldestowe" in the 
Valor of Pope Nicholas, a.d. 1291. — See, too, proceedings temp. Edward I., 
Appendix No. X. 



THE PLACE OF THE SEE. 73 

Petrock ; the authority for which we are not aware of. 
The adjoining parish is admitted to be connected with 
the name of Saint Petrock, being now called Little Pe- 
therick, or Saint Petrock the Less. We learn, however, 
from Mr. Lysons, that it was anciently known by the 
name of "Nassington." There is to be found among the 
archives of Exeter Cathedral, a record, that on the 28th 
September 1415, Bishop Stafford licensed the celebration 
of Divine Service " in the Chapels of the Holy Trinity, 
and of the Saints Michael, Petroc, Germ anus, and We- 
thenye, within the limits of the parish of Saint Petrock 
of Padstow." 1 

This record, so far from proving the identity of the 
two names, " Petrockstowe," and " Padstow," seems to 
us to prove the reverse. It applies evidently to Little 
Petherick, or Saint Petrock the Less; which, being close 
to Padstow, was so described to distinguish it from the 
greater Petrocks-stowe at Bodmin. 

It is well known that the Bodmin monastery, at the 
time of its suppression, possessed the manor of Padstow, 
with its port, harbour, and fishery ; but, inasmuch as we 
find no mention of this property among the possessions 
of the monastery enumerated in Domesday, we may 
infer that it was a later acquisition. It is not unlikely 
that the Chapter at Bodmin, after they had acquired it, 
may have founded there a church or chapels dedicated 
to Saint Petrock, as they appear to have done in their 
manors of Hollacombe and Newton Saint Petrock, in 
Devon ; and thus the church of Little Petherick, and that 
of Padstow also, supposing it to bear the name of that 
saint, may have had their origin. 2 

1 "In capellis Sancte Trinitatis, sanctorum Michaelis, Petroci, Germani et 
Wethenye, infra limites parochie Sancti Petroci de Padistow." — Oliver's Monast. 
Dioc. ~Exon. p. 442. 

2 The suffix of "stowe," meaning "place" only, although constantly applied 



74 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

We have now stated the grounds on which the belief 
in a monastery of Saint Petrock, at Padstow, is sup- 
ported ; and it will be apparent how feeble and unsatis- 
factory is the foundation. Resting partly on uncertain 
philological conjectures, and partly on doubtful surmises, 
founded on legends which possess no trustworthy autho- 
rity, there is not a tittle of evidence of a really historical 
character which can be adduced in support of it. But if 
we turn from the indistinct and shadowy form in which 
this supposed establishment presents itself to our appre- 
hension, and regard the other at Bodmin, the existence 
of which has been brought before us in all its substantial 
reality — and if we bear in mind that in all respects it 
fulfils the historical requisites of the Petrockstowe of 
antiquity, it would seem to be wholly unreasonable to 
withhold our acceptance of it as such, or to expect to find 
any other. 

Returning from this digression to the main subject of 
our inquiry, we will now consider what are the argu- 
ments in favour of the respective claims of Saint Germans 
and Saint Petrock to be deemed the see of the Cornish 
bishops : assuming, for the reasons stated, Bodmin to be 
the unquestionable site of the latter. 

by the Saxons to institutions of a monastic or conventual character, was some- 
times used in a different sense. We find in Cornwall, in the neighbourhood of 
Padstow, the churches of " Davidstowe," " Jacobstowe," and several others, 
where it was never pretended that there was a collegiate body. 



75 



CHAPTER V. 

Place of the See continued — Testimonies adduced — Inquisition temp. Edw. Ill, 
— Charter of King iEthelred, annexing Saint Petrock's to the See of Saint 
Germans — Charter of King Cnut — Charter of King Eadward, uniting the 
Cornish and Devon Bishopricks, and See removed to Exeter, a.d. 1050 — 
Possibly a joint See of Saint Germans and Saint Petrock — Relation of the 
Bishop to the Monastery — Transfer of its Lands on the removal of the See — 
Those of Saint Grermans divided — No part of Saint Petrock's Estates trans- 
ferred — Leland's authority as to the See — Evidence of the Manumissions as 
to the See — Not conclusive in favour of Bodmin, as assumed by Mr. D. Gilbert 
— Recapitulation . 

It has been already noticed that the historian of Malmes- 
bury, who composed his works within the century which 
followed the extinction of the Cornish Episcopate, was 
unable to determine between the respective claims of 
Saint Germans and Saint Petrock to be deemed the place 
of the see, and left that question still unresolved. Our 
early modern historians adopted the hypothesis that 
the see was at both those places — first at Bodmin, and 
afterwards at Saint Germans; and that the removal 
was occasioned by the pillage of the Bodmin monastery 
by the Danes in 981, recorded in the Saxon Chronicle. 
We are not aware that this supposed removal rests on 
the authority of any ancient author; and until some 
testimony is adduced in its favour, we must receive the 
statement as conjectural only. 

We believe the earliest direct reference to the Cornish 
see, as such, after that of William of Malmesbury, is 
the record of a judicial proceeding, which took place 
a.d. 1358 (32 Edw. III.), when some inquiry, by a jury, 
was instituted, regarding the legal rights of the Bishop 



76 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

of Exeter over certain lands as appertaining to Saint 
Germans monastery. The result of this inquiry is set 
forth in a record which is technically termed an Inqui- 
sition ; and the same record was adduced and confirmed 
in the reign of King Richard II., a.d. 1383. In it we 
find it stated, " that a certain King of England, Knout 
by name, gave to God and the Church of /Saint Germans, 
and those who there served God, the lands and tenements 
in the writ contained, that there the episcopal seat of 
Cornioall then was, and a bishop named Brithivold, and 
secular canons, &c.' ?1 

This ancient record appears to us to possess great 
weight ; it contains the conclusion come to by persons 
who examined the matter judicially, at a period when 
evidence must have been attainable which is now beyond 
our reach. Of itself, and unsupported by other testi- 
mony, it should seem to be quite sufficient to satisfy us, 
that at least at the time of King Cnut, Saint Germans 
was the place of the see. But this King began to reign 
a.d. 1017; and consequently the document will not 
decide for us whether the see had not been removed 
thither a short time previously, upon the Danish attack 
of Bodmin, a.d. 981. 

The grant of King Cnut, referred to in the inquisition, 
Ave shall presently submit to notice ; but we shall first 
adduce a still earlier document, of the reign of King 
iEthelred, dated a.d. 994. 2 Omitting the formal part of 
it, which is long and verbose, and without any bearing 
on our subject, the contents of this instrument may be 
thus translated : — - 

" Wherefore I [iEthelred] now make known to all 
Catholics, that with the advice and permission of the 

1 Appendix No. IX. 

2 No. 686, Cod. Dip., Appendix No. II. 



THE PLACE OF THE SEE. / / 

bishops and princes, and of all my nobles, for the love 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the holy Confessor Germ anus, 
as well as of the blessed excellent Petrocus, for the re- 
demption of my soul, and for the absolution of my sins, 
I have granted the bishopries of Ealdred the bishop, that 
is, in the province of Cornwall, that it may be free, and 
subject to him, and all his successors ; that he may- 
govern and rule his diocese, as other bishops who are 
under my authority ; and that the place and rule of Saint 
Petroctis may be always in his poiver, and in that of his 
successors; and so that it may be free from all royal 
tributes, and released from the obligation of compulsory 
works and penal liabilities (but with the apprehension of 
thieves l ), and from every secular burden, military ser- 
vice excepted, and so free perpetually may remain." 

On an attentive consideration of this document, it may 
be observed, that it was not a mere formal grant, made 
in ordinary course, on the appointment of Ealdred to the 
see, for we have already noticed his signature, as Bishop 
of Cornwall, in a charter of the preceding year. 2 We 
are therefore certain that he had been in the possession 
of his bishoprick for some time previously. The instru- 
ment itself is of twofold effect : first, it enfranchises the 
episcopacy from certain liabilities, the nature of which 
it is unnecessary for our purpose that we should enter 
upon ; and secondly, it subjects " the place and rule," 
" locus atque regimen," of Saint Petrock to the authority 
of the bishop. 

It is admitted that every bishop had a general power 
of superintendence over the monastic institutions within 

1 The right of apprehending and trying thieves, taken either within or with- 
out the manor, is often found enumerated among manorial privileges, even in 
recent times,' by the homely but genuine Anglo-Saxon terms of " Infang-theof" 
and " Outfang-theof." 

2 Page 14. 



78 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

his diocese. 1 It is consequently clear that by the term 
" regimen/' it was intended that Ealdred should acquire 
some special power and control over this monastery, 
which he did not possess before ; but not only was he to 
have this "regimen" but the "locus"* also, by which 
we may understand the site of the monastery, including 
the building, and whatever else might be upon it ; and 
thus a property or interest in the monastery itself must 
have passed to the bishop. 

There are two aspects in which this instrument may 
be regarded. Its date is thirteen years after the Bodmin 
monastery had been plundered by the pirates. And if 
we assume, as is asserted by Camden and other writers, 
that the bishop, in consequence, removed his see to Saint 
Germans, we should expect that there would have been 
some instrument by which Saint Germans would have 
been placed in the same connection with the episcopate 
that Saint Petrock was before. It is impossible to attri- 
bute to this charter such an effect. It is evident, that 
the subjection of Saint Petrock to the bishop, and his 
interest in the monastery, must, if the see had been there 
previously, have been of long standing ; and this part of 
the instrument could have had no application. Prom 
the obvious meaning of the document, w T e are compelled 
to infer, that the bishop's special authority over that 
monastery was now conferred by it for the first time • 
and thus the possibility of the supposed removal from 
Bodmin to Saint Germans is wholly precluded. 

On the other hand, if we assume that the see had 
been previously connected with Saint Germans, the con- 
tents of the grant resolve themselves at once into the 

1 Kemble's Saxons in England, vol. ii. p. 400. Excerpta Eqgberti Arch. 
Ebor. 65. — Thorpe's Ancient Laws. 

2 Were not "locus" and "stowe" in technical language synonymous? 



THE PLACE OF THE SEE. 79 

intelligible fact, that it was intended by it to annex to 
the bishop rick the monastery of Bodmin, in addition to 
that of Saint Germans. Doubtless, such an act would 
have conferred an honour, if not a more substantial 
benefit, on the Bodmin monastery; and must at the same 
time, by furnishing the episcopate with more ample 
means of sustaining it, have served to enhance the im- 
portance of the monastery at Saint Germans, which was 
already intimately connected with the see. We are, 
therefore, able to understand the force of the phrase, 
" for the love of the holy Confessor Germanus, as well as 
of the blessed excellent Petrocus," which is stated in the 
charter to be the inducement to the grant. The only 
fair conclusion, as it seems to us, which we can draw 
from this instrument, is, that the Cornish see was not 
only at the date of this charter, but had been from the 
time probably of its creation, placed at the monastery of 
Saint Germans, and nowhere else. Such is the conclu- 
sion of Dr.Whitaker, and we unhesitatingly adopt it. 

This reasoning will, we venture to think, acquire in- 
creased cogency, if we compare this charter with a similar 
one of King iEthelstan, enfranchising the see of Crediton, 
which for this purpose we insert in the Appendix. 1 Both 
instruments are in pari materia, and illustrate each other. 
Now, if we exclude from King iEthelred's all that relates 
to Saint Petrock, the remaining portion, mutatis mutandis, 
will be very nearly a counterpart of the charter of King 
iEthelstan. For, as in the latter, the King, for the love 
of God, and in veneration of the Blessed Mary, 2 and for 

1 No. XI. 

2 It should seem, from this part of the charter, that the cathedral church of 
Crediton was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and consequently could not have 
been, as generally supposed, the Church of the Holy Cross at Crediton. It is 
remarkable that there long survived, at Crediton, a guild or brotherhood of 
" Our Lady." This fact is mentioned by Dr. Oliver, in his Mon. Exon. 



80 THE EPISCOPATE OP CORNWALL. 

the authority of all the saints, confers freedom on the 
bishoprick of the church of Crediton ; so, in the other, 
it would then run that King iEthelred, for the love of 
Christ, and of the holy Confessor Germanus, granted the 
bishoprick that is in the province of Cornwall, that it 
might be free. The introduction into this instrument of 
Saint Petrock's monastery, and the subjection of it to 
the Cornish bishop, will consequently imply a separate 
and secondary object, and will have the character which 
we have attributed to it, of being an additional endow- 
ment in favour of the bishoprick ; on the other hand, if 
we exclude from ^Ethelred's charter what relates to Saint 
Germanus, the instrument in great measure loses all force 
and meaning ; for, as already observed, there surely could 
have been no need of subjecting Saint Petrock's to the 
bishop, if the cathedral church had previously been at 
that place ; nor in this case could we assign any intel- 
ligible purpose whatever to the introduction of Saint 
Germanus into the grant. For these reasons, we are irre- 
sistibly led back to our first conclusion. 

We noticed that the inquisition, in the reign of 
Edward III., referred to a grant of lands made by King 
Cnut to the church of Saint Germans. The document 
containing this grant we shall now submit. It bears 
date a.d. 1018, and, omitting the irrelevant portion of it, 
may be thus translated 1 : — 

" Wherefore I, Cnut, enthroned King of the English, 
do grant unto my most faithful bishop, who is called by the 
well-known name Burhwold, in right of a perpetual in- 
heritance, a certain portion of land, to wit, four hides in 

1 No. 728, Cod. Dipl. Appendix No. III. We assume that this is the iden- 
tical grant referred to in the inquisition; but it is right to observe, that this 
fact, however probable, is not exactly proved. See note in the last chapter of 
this work. But this question is of no importance as regards the object of our 
inquiry. 



THE PLACE OF THE SEE. 81 

two places divided, where, by the inhabitants, it is called 
Landerhtun ; and the land elsewhere [called] Tinieltun ; 
to hold 1 so long as the vital breath in this troublous life 
shall sustain the fragile body ; and after his decease, the 
land Landerhtun to commit for his soul and the King's, 
to Saint Germanus in perpetual liberty, and Tinieltun, 
the bishop to deal with, as to him shall seem fit. And 
the aforesaid gift to remain, as I have already said, from 
every worldly service exempt; with all things to the 
same of right appertaining; fields, woods, pastures, 
meadows (military service only excepted, if necessity re- 
quire), and apprehension of thieves, the same liberty to 
be held in the manner above expressed. " 

The contents of this charter do not throw any import- 
ant light upon our subject. There is no mention made 
in it of Saint Petrock. The grant is of two estates for 
the especial benefit of the bishop, seemingly, in his pri- 
vate capacity, but with a reversion in one of them, after 
his death, to the monastery of Saint Germans. It is to 
this extent an additional testimony of the intimate con- 
nection of the episcopate with Saint Germans. 

We have only one more charter to adduce, which is 
of much interest, not only from its being the instrument 
which legalises the incorporation of the Devon and Cornish 
Episcopates into one new diocese, fixing the see at Exeter, 
but also as it records the installation of Bishop Leofrick 
into the new bishoprick, by King Eadward and his royal 
consort in person. It bears date a.d. 1050, eight years 
after he succeeded to the crown. 2 Omitting, as before, 
the formal parts of it, the following is a translation : — 

" Wherefore I, Eadward, by the grace of God, King 

1 The " Habendum " in deeds, with which our lawyers are so familiar, was 
an ancient form even at the date of this charter. 

2 No. 791, Cod. Dip, Appendix No. IV. 

G 



82 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

of the English, actuated by motives of good will, inas- 
much as I have ordained, in accordance with what is 
commanded in the divine decrees, to consolidate an epis- 
copal chair at the city of Exeter, in the monastery of the 
blessed Peter, chief of the apostles, which is situated 
within the walls of the same city, by the authority of the 
Heavenly King, by my own, and by that of my consort 
Eadgytha, and of all my bishops and dukes, and by virtue 
of this special grant, and the assurance of this hand- 
writing, 1 for all time to come, do constitute Leofrick that 
he be the pontiff there, and those who shall succeed him, 
to the praise and glory of the holy and individual Trinity, 
Father and Son and Holy Spirit, and to the honour of 
holy Peter, the apostle. I give also all possessions to the 
same place belonging, whatsoever they may be, as well in 
lands, as in pastures, meadows, woods, waters, freed -men, 
serfs, and bond-women, 2 laws, tax, territories, unto God 
and Saint Peter, and to the brotherhood of canons there 
serving ; that they may have at all times landed estate for 
the support of the body, 3 whereby they may be enabled 
to be Christ's soldiers without trouble of mind. This, 
however, I make known to the Lord the Pope Leo, first 
of all, and confirm by his own attestation ; then to all the 
English nobles, that the diocese of Cornwall, which for- 
merly, in memory of the blessed Germanus, and in venera- 
tion of Petrocus, had been assigned to an episcopal throne, 
the same, with all the parishes thereto belonging, lands, 
vills, substance, benefits, I deliver to Saint Peter, in the 
city of Exeter, to wit, that there may be one episcopal 
seat, and one pontificate, and one ecclesiastical rule, on 
account of the paucity, and the devastation of goods and 
people, inasmuch as pirates have been able to plunder 

1 Per hoc privilegium testamenti atque cautionem cyrographi." 

2 Servis et ancillis. 3 Subsidiurn hubesum corporis. 



THE PLACE OF THE SEE. 83 

the Cornish and Cryditon churches, and on this account 
it has seemed good to have a more secure protection 
against enemies within the city of Exeter, and so there I 
will the seat to be. That is, that Cornwall with its 
churches, and Devon with its, may be united into one 
episcopate, and be ruled by one bishop. Therefore, this 
special grant, I, King Eadward, lay with my own hand 
upon the altar of Saint Peter, and the Prelate Leofrick 
by the right arm leading, and my Queen Eadgytha by 
the left, I place in the episcopal chair, in the presence of 
my dukes and kinsmen, nobles and chaplains, and with 
the assent and approval of the Archbishops Eadsine and 
^Elfric, and all the others whose names are mentioned at 
the end of this instrument." 

The usual denunciations follow against such as should 
be guilty of any infraction of the charter ; and there is 
also, as usual, a long array of witnesses, containing the 
names of the two archbishops, five bishops, five dukes, 
three who sign as " nobilis," two abbats, four presbyters, 
and ten who sign as " minister." 

Neither this charter of King Eadward the Confessor, 
nor the former one of King Cnut, furnishes any direct 
testimony on the subject of our inquiry. It is true they 
both set forth the bishop and the conventual church at 
Saint Germans, in such a mutual relation as to leave no 
doubt that this must have been the place of his see when 
these documents were executed. But this fact is not 
controverted. There is, however, a conclusion which, it 
seems to us, may be derived from their evidence, which 
we will now lay before the reader. 

Camden, and other writers of that period, sought to 
reconcile the conflicting statements of William of Mal- 
mesbury, and to clear up the obscurities of the other 
evidence, by supposing that the Cornish bishops were 



84 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

seated, first at Saint Petrock's, and afterwards at Saint 
Germans. We have shown that this view is untenable ; 
and equally untenable is the suggestion of Borlase, that 
Saint Germans monastery was annexed to the Bodmin 
see. There remains, then, but one conclusion which can 
possibly be arrived at, and which is adopted by Dr. 
Whitaker, that the see was at Saint Germans from the 
first, and that the charter of iEthelred annexed to it 
the monastery at Bodmin. 

We are, however, inclined to think that this view should 
be modified in the manner we are about to explain. 
Indeed it is probable that our suggestion, from its ob- 
vious nature, will have already presented itself. The 
argument on which it rests is broadly enunciated by Dr. 
Whitaker, although he does not exactly point out the 
inference to be drawn from it. We will quote his 
words. After commenting on the charter of King 
iEthelred, he thus speaks of its effect : — 

" No change was made in the jurisdiction and seat of 
the bishop. This was still left at Saint Germans, and that 
was still allowed to be commensurate with Cornwall. 
But the monastery of Bodmin was now annexed to the 
see ; the name of Bodmin was now subjoined to that of 
Saint Germans, and the bishop became, by this conces- 
sion from the crown, the prelate of Cornwall, under the 
combined titles of Saint Germans and of Bodmin : just 
as by the same sort of annexation, formerly, the see of 
Lichfield is now entitled Lichfield and Coventry." 

But why are we to suppose, with Dr. Whitaker, that 
under such circumstances the see was not changed ? Are 
we not rather justified in inferring that there was from 
that time a joint see ? Is the title of the see to be de- 
rived from two places, and the see itself not to be deemed 
at both these places ? 



THE PLACE OF THE SEE. 85 

Let us revert again to the charter of King Eadward. 
We shall observe that the Cornish episcopate is there 
stated to have been "formerly assigned to an episcopal 
throne, in memory of the blessed Germanus, and in venera- 
tion of Petrocus." So strong do these words seem, that, 
if taken alone, they imply that the episcopacy had been 
connected with both these monasteries from its first 
creation ; and we should have been compelled to draw 
this conclusion, but for the evidence we have that the 
annexation of that at Bodmin did not take place until 
the reign of King iEthelred. But it is impossible to in- 
terpret King Eadward's charter in any other way, than 
by supposing Saint Petrock's monastery to have been so 
connected with the episcopacy as to share the honour of 
being the bishop's see equally with that of Saint Germans. 
The prelate himself would thus have been styled, as sug- 
gested by Borlase, " The Bishop of Saint Germans and 
Saint Petrock's." 

We do not know that any material objection could be 
raised to this view of the case. 1 It is true, that for a 
bishop to have his seat in more places than one, is an 
anomaly ; and at a later period of Anglican church his- 
tory, would have been inconvenient, if not impracticable. 
But at the time we speak of, and with the comparatively 
simple habits which must have then obtained in the 
church, it does not seem impossible for a bishop to have 
had an official residence at two places, and to have re- 
moved from one to the other as occasion served. The 
language of King Eaclward's charter, it must be admitted, 
is not easy to be understood, in whatever light it is re- 
garded ; but with this interpretation it becomes more 
intelligible than by any other solution. 

1 It should seem that in the Anglo-Saxon times, the capitular bodies took no 
part, even nominally, in the election of bishops. — Saxons in England, toI. ii. 378. 



86 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

Notwithstanding that the Cornish episcopate is fre- 
quently referred to in ancient documents, it is somewhat 
remarkable that no where do we find it designated by the 
name of its see. Even when coupled with that of Devon, 
and in the selfsame sentence, one is constantly styled the 
" Crediton bishoprick," and the other, as invariably, the 
" bishoprick of Cornwall." To what ought we to attribute 
this circumstance? May we not suppose that it was 
occasioned by the fact of Saint Germans and Bodmin 
being both made the seat of the bishop, and that it was 
impossible to designate it by a single word ? l 

It may not be without use to consider somewhat more 
closely what was the exact relation in which the bishop 
and the monastery stood with regard to each other, when 
the latter had been made the foundation of his bishoprick. 
Independently of such a relation, the bishop had, as we 
have already observed, a general superintendence over all 
monastic establishments within his diocese ; but by this 
connection, we presume, he must have become its virtual 
head, controlling, if not superseding, the abbat or prior, 
and must also have acquired a right to participate in its 
revenues. We can derive some few gleams of light on 
this subject by the aid of the Domesday Survey. 

This record was completed a. d. 1086, that is, thirty-six 
years after the see was removed to Exeter. Osbearne, 
who succeeded Leofrick, is referred to in it as then bishop 

1 Another reason may be assigned, namely, that there was in fact no place by 
which the see conld be designated. It is true that in process of time a town 
sprang up around the Saint Germans monastery, but it never had any name 
distinct from the monastery itself which gave it birth, and in the age we are 
concerned with, it may have had no existence. The canons of the church re- 
quired the episcopal- seat to be in a large towu, but here there was perhaps not 
a village ; and for the reason stated, there may have been no usage to warrant 
the see being distinguished by the name of the saint to whom the cathedral 
church was dedicated. This objection would not apply to Saint Petrock, where 
the town of Bodmin had already acquired a distinctive appellation, and had the 
see been there it might assuredly have been termed the see of Bodmin. 



THE PLACE OF THE SEE. 87 

of that diocese. Among the lands it enumerates as be- 
longing to the bishop, we can identify the greater portion 
of those mentioned in Leofrick's Charter, as the property 
of Saint Peter's monastery. 1 Five of these manors are 
noted in the Survey, as serving for the maintenance of 
the canons ; we may therefore presume that all the re- 
maining lands, being the greater part in number, had 
become the exclusive property of the bishop. This ap- 
propriation of the revenues of the monastery must, we 
imagine, have been the result of some amicable arrange- 
ment entered into between the parties ; or must have been 
directed by the crown when the see was established there. 

Again, we find it mentioned in the Survey that the 
bishop held " Critetone," from which we learn that that 
manor which, without doubt, was previously annexed to 
the bishoprick whilst the see existed there, passed with it 
when the see was transferred to Exeter. 

It will also be borne in mind, that King Eadward the 
elder, when he founded the Crediton see, gave to the 
bishop three vills in Cornwall, viz., "Polltun," "Ceelling," 
and " Landuuithan." The first and last of these are 
usually identified with "Pautone" and " Langvitetone," 2 
recorded in Domesday among the lands at that time the 
property of the Bishop of Exeter. These also, as annexed 
to the see, must have passed with it to Exeter. 

Let us now observe what took place, at the same period, 
with regard to the estates of the Cornish episcopacy, and 
the two monasteries supposed to be connected with it. 
The Charter of King Cnut, a.d. 1018, it will be remem- 
bered, conferred on Bishop Buruhwold lands at " Land- 
erhtun" and at "Timeltun"; with a direction that the 

1 Appendix No. V. 

2 Usually deemed to be identical with Pawton (in Saint Breock), and Law- 
liitton, of the present day ; and Cselling with Callington. 



88 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

former, at his decease, should pass to the monastery of 
St. Germans ; and the latter should be at the bishop's 
own disposal. The property of " Landerhtun" consisted 
of lands in the parish of Landrake, which adjoins that of 
St. Germans. 1 "Tinieltun" we are not able to identify 
with certainty. We know, however, that lands in Land- 
rake and " Tynyell," wherever that may have been, were 
among the possessions of the Saint Germans priory at the 
time of its dissolution. 2 We are, therefore, left to infer, 
that the latter property had been given to it by Burh- 
wold, and that both were retained by the monastery on 

1 We assume this charter to be the grant referred to in the inquisition. — 
Appendix Nos. III. IX. The property the inquisition relates to, is " three mes- 
suages and two acres of land and half, with the appurtenances in Laurake [no 
doubt an error of the copyist for Laurake], in the county of Cornwall." The 
names Darton and Tarton are still found in the parish of Landrake ; and Tarton 
Down, in Landrake, is said to have supplied the stone of which Saint Germans 
church is built. The priory had large possessions in that parish at the time of 
its dissolution; and if they were derived from Cnut's grant, which comprised 
four hides, we must read the inquisition as if it had been said in modern legal 
phraseology, "the three messuages," &c, were granted "inter alia. 1 " The four 
hides, no doubt, contained a large area ; for taking the hide at the lowest com- 
putation of thirty acres, and applying it, as was the usage, to the arable land 
only, it was probably accompanied with some hundred acres of wood and pas- 
ture, which it was not usual to take account of. Some traces of " Landerhton" 
may possibly still survive in the name of the parish, at this day " Landrake," 
but more probably in "Darton" and "Tarton." 

2 We suspect " Tynyell" to be the same as the manor and farm now called 
"Tinnel," in the parish of Landulph, Cornwall, a few miles from Landrake, 
although, as yet, we have not been able to obtain a positive confirmation of it. 
The priory of St. Grermans had tithes in that parish at the dissolution. In the 
Ministers' Accounts, 31 Henry Till., we have — 

"SaSCTI GrEEMAN T I PeIOEATUS COAIITATTJ COEXTTBLE. 

(Among other entries) 
Lanrake manerium redditus liberorum tenencium . . . . £ 8 2 3f 

Lanrake villa redditus liberorum tenendum 1 11 6 

„ „ redditus convencionariorum tenencium . . . . 51 11 OJ 

Tynyell redditus liberorum tenencium 10 6 

„ redditus tarn convencionariorum tenencium quam cus- 

tumariorum 20 11 10J 

„ Perquisita curie 098 

Landylpe porcio decime garbarum 10 0" 

Oliver's Monast. Dioec. Uxon. 






THE PLACE OE THE SEE. 89 

the transfer of the see. The disposition of the manor 
of St. Germans is, however, particularly instructive, since 
we find its lands divided, with some show of equality, 
between the bishop and the monastery. The entry in 
Domesday may be thus translated. We take the extract 
from the Exeter copy of this record, as it is somewhat 
more explicit than that in the Exchequer : — - 

" The bishop has one manor, which is called Saint 
Germans, which Lcuricitus (Leofrick) the bishop held on 
the day when King Edward was alive and dead. In 
it there are twenty-four hides. Of these the canons of 
Saint Germans have twelve hides, which never paid tax ; 
and the twelve hides of the bishop paid tax for two hides. 
These twelve hides of the bishop twenty ploughs can 
plough. There has the bishop one hide in demesne and 
two ploughs ; and villain have eleven hides and sixteen 
ploughs. There has the bishop thirty villani, and twelve 
bordarii, and four servi, and thirty sheep, and two leugae 
of wood in length, and one in breadth, and four leugee of 
pasture in length, and two in breadth, and it pays per 
annum eight pounds, and when the bishop [first] received, 
it was worth a hundred shillings. And the twelve hides 
of the canons of Saint Germans forty ploughs can plough. 
There have the canons one hide in demesne, and two 
ploughs, and villani eleven hides and twenty-three ploughs. 
There have the canons twenty -three villani, and fifteen 
bordarii, and two servi, and sixty sheep, and four leugae 
of wood in length, and two in width, and two leugse of 
pasture in length, and one in breadth, and it is worth per 
annum, for the use of the canons, a hundred shillings." 1 

1 "Eps lit imansionem que vocat Scs G-erman q tenuit leuricitus eps ea die 
q rex E. fuit v. et m. In ea st xxim hid. de his hnt Canonici Sci Grermani 
XII hid. ~q numq redd gildu et xii Epi reddidert gildu p. II hidis. has xii hidas 
epi posst arare xx carr. Inde ht eps I hid in dnio et n carr. et villani hnt xi hid- 



90 THE EPISCOPATE OE CORNWALL. 

It is quite evident from this entry, that on the removal 
of the see to Exeter, a partition, either compulsory or 
by agreement, was made of the territorial possessions of 
this establishment : the bishop carrying with him to 
the new see the manor of Saint Germans, and one half 
of the lands comprised in it ; the monastery retaining the 
other half. In this fact we have the most indisputable 
proof of the intimate connection of the latter with the 
Cornish see. 

In the case of the Bodmin monastery we find no evi- 
dence whatever that any portion of its revenues was 
appropriated to the new diocese. There is in Domesday, 
as already mentioned, an enumeration of its landed 
estates ; but inasmuch as this record represents only 
what the monastery possessed at the time it was com- 
piled, being more than thirty years after the change of 
the see, we cannot be sure that some of the lands then 
held by the bishop, had not formerly been the property 
of this priory. It is true Leland observes, " William 
Warlewist, Bishop of Excestre, erected the last fundation 
of this priory, and had to himself part of the auncient 
landes of Bodmin monasterie ;" bat we take it, this ap- 
plies only to lands which this bishop appropriated to 
himself, on his reconstituting this institution, long after 
the time we speak of. It is remarkable that the two 
Devonshire manors of " Holecumbe " and " Niwetone," 
which were the property of this priory, the latter of 
which had been given to it so early as the reign of King 

et xvi carr. Ibi ht eps xxx villanos et xn bord et nil servos et xxx oves 
et II leugas nemoris I longit et I ilat et iiii leugas pascue I long and n ilat et 
reddit p. annum viii libras, et qdo eps accepit valebat c sol. et xii hid. ca- 
nonicorum Sci German, possunt arare xl carr. Inde habent canonici I hid in 
dnio et n carr et villani, XI hid, et xxill carr. Ibi hnt canonichi, xxiii villanos, 
et xv bord, and n servos, et lx oves, et iiii leugas nemoris i longit et n ilatit, 
et II leugas pascue i longit et I ilat, et ualet p. annum ad opus canonichor 
C solid." — Exeter Domesday. 



THE PLACE OF THE SEE. 91 

Eadred, are recorded in Domesday as still belonging to 
it. It might have been supposed that if any of its pro- 
perty had passed to the Bishop of Exeter, these outlying 
portions would have been first selected. On the whole 
we are inclined to think that the new bishoprick took no 
benefit from the lands of Saint Petrock ; nor do we see, 
in this circumstance, any thing which militates against 
the notion that it participated in the Cornish see. It is 
worth remarking, that the instrument by which it was 
annexed to the episcopate, seems to have passed, by the 
term "locus," 1 nothing more than the monastery itself. 
It does not contain the words " with all its lands," &c, 
or any such general clause as would imply that the 
whole of its landed property was intended to be included 
in the grant. We should likewise bear in mind that it 
was a recent acquisition of the episcopacy, and not be- 
longing to it at its first foundation, as Saint Germans 
was ; and that it was conferred apparently for the better 
support of the episcopacy in Cornwall, and consequently 
on the removal of the see to another county, it is not 
surprising that it should have been allowed to revert 
back to the same state and condition as it enjoyed before 
the annexation. On the other hand, the fact of the 
Bodmin monastery not contributing to the support of 
the new diocese, if we may assume as much, is to our 
mind a strong proof that its connection with the Cornish 
bishoprick was of a less intimate character than that of 
Saint Germans, and consequently that it could not have 
been the foundation of the see from its commencement, 
as it is sometimes contended. 

Passing from these evidences of a remote age to 
writings of a comparatively modern date, we may advert 
to the evidence of Leland. All the memoranda he has 

1 Page 77. 



92 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

preserved respecting Saint Germans concur in attributing 
the see to that place. He says : — 

" Ethelstan was its first founder. 

" It was in the time of Ethelstan the episcopal seat, 
which afterwards, by Saint Edward the Confessor and 
King, was transferred to the Church at Exeter." 1 

And again, in the passage quoted before : — 

" He raised one Conan to be bishop, in the church of 
Saint Germans, a.d. 936, on the nones of December." 

" There were successively eleven bishops in the church 
of Saint Germans. Then the see and secular canons were 
transferred to Exeter." 2 

The opinion of Leland on this subject is very clear 
and decisive ; and if we are not inclined to place implicit 
confidence in it, or to view these memoranda as any- 
thing more than traditions preserved on the spot, the fact 
of his seeing eleven bishops painted in Saint Germans 
Church cannot be doubted, and proves these traditions 
to have descended from a very early age, and on that 
account entitled to greater respect. 

We should be guilty of a great omission in this part 
of our inquiry, if we passed over in silence the evidence 
supposed to be derived from the Saint Petrock manu- 
missions ; more especially as the late President of the 
Royal Society, who had the good fortune to be the first 
to submit this interesting document to public notice, ap- 
pears to take for granted that it contradicts Dr. Whitaker's 
views, and indisputably establishes the see at Bodmin, to 
the entire exclusion of Saint Germans. 3 With every re- 

1 " S. G-ermanus in Cornubia Prior." 
" Ethelstanus, I s fundator." 

"Fuit tempore Ethelstani sedes episcopalis qua? postea per Sanctum Ed- 
wardum confess, regem translata fuit ad ecclesiam Exoniensem." — Leland's 
Collect, torn. i. p. 75. 

2 Page 15. a Mr. D. Gilbert's History of Cornwall, vol. iii. pp. 407-8. 



THE PLACE OF THE SEE. 93 

spect for the high authority of Mr. D. Gilbert, we feel 
compelled to observe, that so far from this document in- 
evitably leading to this conclusion, it simply leaves the 
question just where it was before. We have mentioned, 
at a previous page, that on the open spaces and margins of 
this ancient copy of the Gospels we find entered minutes 
or records of civil transactions, of which the greater num- 
ber purport to have taken place " at the altar of Saint 
Petrock"; the transactions thus recorded, consisting of 
the manumissions of serfs, which were usually made in 
a church or other public place. These entries, so far as 
their dates can be ascertained, from allusions to cotem- 
porary and well-known personages, embrace at least the 
period from King Eadmund [a.d. 940-46] to the time of 
Bishop Buruhwold, who, as we have seen, continued in 
his see until the reign of King Eadward [a.d. 1042], that 
is, a period of about one hundred years. We have already 
noticed that it may be gathered from the entries that the 
altar of Saint Petrock was in a minster or conventual 
church, and that Bodmin being twice mentioned as a 
place close by it, the obvious inference is that this con- 
ventual church was at the well-known monastery of Saint 
Petrock at Bodmin. We also find in them that mention 
is made of the presence of a bishop on twelve different 
occasions. Now, without doubt, had this evidence stood 
alone, and had we no other data to rely upon, this pre- 
sence of a bishop on so many occasions would have 
afforded some slight ground for supposing his residence 
and see to have been at that place. But it is by no 
means repugnant to his being seated elsewhere, could 
that be otherwise shown. We have more than once 
observed, that the bishop had the superintendence of all 
monastic establishments within his diocese : it surelv 
then is not remarkable that a bishop should have visited 



94 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

the monastery of Saint Petrock a dozen times during the 
long period of nearly a century, although he might have 
had his see in some other part of the county. In one 
instance we find among the witnesses present the name 
of " Gestin, the bishop's steward." which would seem to 
imply that the household of the bishop, and if so, the 
bishop himself, must have resided there. It is possible 
that this entry, the exact date of which we have no 
means of ascertaining, may apply to the period subse- 
quent to the annexation of the Bodmin monastery to the 
see, by the charter of JEthelred, a.d. 994. And under 
the circumstances which then arose, we may suppose 
either that Bodmin was then admitted into the parti- 
cipation of the honours of the see, as already suggested, 
or, if that participation be objected to, that the right of 
control which the bishop had acquired, by means of that 
charter, over the revenues of the monastery, had given 
cause for the presence of his steward on the occasion 
referred to. 1 In any point of view, we are unable to 
discover in the evidence of the Saint Petrock Book of the 
Gospels any such " instant ia cruris " as Mr. D. Gilbert 
assumes. It appears to us neither to add to nor diminish 
the force of the argument on the one side or the other, 
but to leave the question just in the same position in 
which it stood before this ancient record had come to light. 
To recapitulate, we may here observe, that the evi- 
dences adduced in this and the preceding chapter, esta- 
blish beyond controversy the existence of the Bodmin 
monastery of Saint Petrock from a very early period ; 
while for that which is supposed to have existed at Pad- 
stow we are without any positive proof, and find nothing 

1 It may be remarked, that on the occasion of the three several royal visits 
recorded at Saint Petrock' s, there is no notice of the presence of a bishop i a 
circumstance not likely to have occurred had the bishop been there resident. 



THE PLACE OF THE SEE. 95 

alleged in its support but a mere conjecture, wholly in- 
sufficient to give it a right to supplant in our minds the 
one at Bodmin. We are consequently led to conclude 
that the latter was the Saint Petrockstowe of Anglo-Saxon 
history. Again, the charter of King Eadward represents 
to us both the Saint Germans and Bodmin houses to be 
so intimately connected with the episcopate, that we are 
induced to believe they were either successively or jointly 
the place of the see. If we adopt the former view, and 
suppose a removal from Bodmin to Saint Germans, it 
would be difficult to understand KingiEthelred's charter, 
which evidently conferred on the Cornish bishop, for the 
first time, a special control over and property in the 
Bodmin establishment ; still more difficult would it be 
to reconcile the state of facts disclosed to us, with the 
alleged annexation of Saint Germans to Bodmin. No 
other conclusion remains but to suppose that the monas- 
tery of Saint Germans was the original seat of the bishops, 
and that after the annexation of the Bodmin monastery, 
by King iEthelred, their see was probably at both these 
places indifferently, and so continued until the new see 
was established at Exeter. This conclusion, derived from 
the documentary evidence alone, is in no respect contra- 
dicted by such other testimony as we can command. 



96 



CHAPTER VI. 

| 
Commencement of the Cornish See — involved in obscurity — not easily accounted 
for — The silence of the Bodleian MS. respecting it — from what cause- 
Difficulties explained by supposing the See to be of British foundation — 
Reasons assigned for the removal to Exeter — somewhat questionable — preju- 
dicial to the Cornish — Evidences from Architectural Remains — at Bodmin 
— at St. Germans — Cuddenbeake stated to have been the Bishop's Palace — 
Conclusion. 

It cannot fail to excite surprise that the origin of the 
Cornish Episcopate should be involved in that obscurity in 
which we find it. Although its commencement may have 
been, and probably was, coeval, or nearly so, with the en- 
tire submission of Cornwall to Saxon rule, that event lay 
far within the range of English history; and other bishop- 
ricks of much older date have their foundations distinctly 
recorded. If we refer to the Bodleian MS., 1 a document 
undoubtedly of very high antiquity, we may observe, that 
it contains a narrative of the circumstances which led to 
the consolidation of the two sees. It begins with inform- 
ing us of the creation of the Crediton see, by Eadward 
the elder ; but it is wholly silent as to the origin of that 
of Cornwall. It would be difficult to attribute this omis- 
sion to the fact itself not having been then known, unless 
there were reason to suppose that the see originated 
in an age and under circumstances altogether different 
from what have been ordinarily assumed. 2 The docu- 

1 Appendix No. VI. 

2 Whatever doubts there may be respecting the correctness of the story of the 
seven bishops ordained in one day, in the reign of Eadward the elder, we 
imagine there can be little doubt of the Crediton see having been established 
about that time. Eadulf, its first bishop, was occupying the see A.D. 933 



GENERAL REMARKS. 97. 

merit then proceeds to state the appointment of Leofrick 
to the bishoprick of " the church of Crediton, and of the 
province of Cornwall;" and that this prelate, perceiving 
that " either province of " Ids diocese, that is Devon and 
Cornwall" had been devastated by pirates, meditated how 
he could transfer the episcopal chair (not of the Devon 
and Cornish episcopates, but) of Crediton, to the city of 
Exeter. Thereupon he despatches a messenger to the Pope, 
to request his intercession with the King for this removal 
to Exeter of the Crediton see only. The Pope's letter to 
the King, in compliance with Leofrick's request, then 
follows ; but not one word, or the most distant allusion, 
do we find in these communications between Leofrick 
and the Pope which has reference to the see of Cornwall, 
which seems to have been altogether ignored throughout 
this transaction. 'How are we to account for the manner 
in which the Cornish episcopate has been passed ovqr in 
this document? Are we to ascribe this reticence to 
the inadvertence or carelessness of the person by whom 
the narrative was drawn up ? The general character and 
style of the document hardly admit of this conclusion. 
Or are we to understand that the episcopate of Cornwall 
was intentionally kept out of view in the communication 
to the Pope ? In the latter case there must surely have 
been some cogent reasons for adopting this course. 
Perhaps it may be said that Leofrick, holding both bishop- 
ricks, and having his seat at Crediton, that for Cornwall 

[Appendix No. XI.], and we may fairly presume that the see of Cornwall could 
not have been created previously to that of Crediton ; consequently, not a 
century and a half could have intervened between its creation and the time of 
Leofrick's episcopate : a period too short to admit of our supposing that the cir- 
cumstances attending that event were unknown in Leofrick's day. And should 
we entertain any doubt of the Bodleian MS. being attributable to Leofrick, it 
must unquestionably have been written about that time. It is certainly quoted 
by William of Malmesbury, and almost as certainly by Florence of Worcester, 
who was possibly a contemporary of Leofrick. 

H 



98 THE EPISCOPATE 01 CORNWALL. 

was either extinct or suspended, and no notice needed 
to have been taken of it. But the charter of Kins; 
Eadward the Confessor did not regard the matter in this 
light. It first constitutes Leofrick and his successors 
bishops of Exeter, and then delivers to him the diocese of 
Cornwall, that there may he one episcopal seat and one 
episcopate^ that Cornwall with its churches, and. Devon 
with its, may be united into one bishopries. If the inter- 
vention of the Pope was necessary for the removal of the 
Crediton see to Exeter, it ma)' be supposed that it would 
have been equally necessary for the removal of that of 
Cornwall, 

It is possible that we may rind the true explanation of 
this difficulty among the speculations of Dr. Whitaker. 
We may remember, that whilst he contends that King 
zEtkelstan. on subduing Cornwall, established a bishop's 
see at Saint Germans, he also contends that this place 
had been previously the see of the Cornish bishops 
whilst that county remained under British government. 
Now, if we adopt this view, we shall find that conse- 
quences will flow from it calculated to afford us material 
aid in removing the difficulties we labour under. Let us 
consider the facts somewhat closely. The Anglo-Saxons, 
in the progress of their victorious arms over this island, 
from time to time, wrested from the Britons successive 
portions of their territory, which they united to their own 
dominions. It was thus that the kings of West Saxony 
gradually extended then authority towards the west, 
until the boundary of their kingdom reached the part of 
the country which we now call Cornwall. The ascend- 
ency of the German invaders throughout the island was. 
by this time, well established, and under the mighty 
conqueror, .Etkelstan, had proved itself irresistible. The 
miserable and despised remnant of the ancient race, which 



GENERAL REMARKS. 99 

was then pent up in the narrow Cornish peninsula, must 
have been but too fully sensible that the day of their in- 
dependence had for ever departed from them, and that all 
further opposition to the new dynasty was hopeless. The 
last account we have of the Cornish-Britons, or rather of 
the Coma- Welsh, or West- Welsh, by which names they 
were usually designated, is in the Saxon Chronicle, under 
the date of a.d. 926, the year following that in which 
iEthelstan succeeded to the crown. The Chronicle, 
speaking of his power, observes : — 

" He ruled all the kings who were in this island, first, 
Huwal, King of the West-Welsh," 1 &c. 

From this time we hear no more of them as a distinct 
people ; and the annexation of Cornwall to the Saxon do- 
minions is, therefore, usually assigned to this reign. From 
a consideration of all the circumstances, we have no doubt 
that this submission, on the part of the Cornish, was 
made the subject of a treaty or convention, by the terms 
of which, not only their personal liberty, but the posses- 
sion of their lands was guaranteed to them, 2 and, possibly, 
the preservation of such of their institutions as were not 
incompatible with the Saxon rule. Huwal, or Howel, is 
usually considered the last British prince who exercised 
authority in Cornwall; and, inasmuch as we find numerous 
signatures of his, appended to charters emanating from 
the Saxon monarchy, he must have continued much about 
the English court. He usually signs with the addition 
" Regulus" — a term of not infrequent use; there is, con- 
sequently, some reason for supposing that he was per- 
mitted to enjoy the shadow of power, as an cc under king," 

1 " An, DCCCCXXVI. Knfc ealle pa cyn^ar \>e on pippum 13lan.be psenon 
he sepylbe, sepiept: frupal, pertr-pala cymnj," &c. 

2 It would lead us too far away were we to introduce here the grounds of this 
opinion. 

LofC. 



100 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL, 

or subordinate ruler, during his life. 1 If the Cornish 
Britons had a bishop of their own, as insisted on by 
Dr. Whitaker, and which it would not be unreasonable 
to suppose, he also may have been permitted to retain his 
see ; and we may remember that Conan is, so far as can 
be discovered, the name of the Cornish prelate in iEthel- 
stan's reign — a name apparently of British origin. 3 From 
regard to the Cornish, in consideration of their submis- 
sion, or it may be in compliance with the terms of their 
surrender, it is not impossible that the bishops who suc- 
ceeded Conan may have been appointed under circum- 
stances not strictly regular ; for between the British and 
Saxon churches there had always existed an irreconcile- 
able feud. 3 In this view of the case, we may regard the 
charter of King iEthelred as the first direct interference 
of the Saxon monarchy, for the purpose of bringing the 
Cornish episcopate into due subordination to the Saxon 
government, and giving to it a status such as that pos- 
sessed by other English bishopricks. The contents of 
that charter, with this interpretation, will acquire a new 

1 The earliest signature is a.d. 928, No. 1101, Cod. Dip. ; the latest, a.d. 949, 
No. 426, Cod. Dip. Howel's death is placed differently by the Welsh Chronicles, 
a.d. 948 or 950. 

2 A similar name will be found several times in the Welsh Chronicles. 
" Conan," or " Cunan." — See before, p. 16. " Frequens est etiam vocabulum 
cun in nominibus britannicis — Cunobelinus, Cunotamus, Cunomaglus, Maglo- 
cunus," &c. — Zeuss' Gramniatica Celtica, Pref. p. 7. 

H It seems the dissension chiefly turned on the form of the tonsure and the 
time of keeping Easter, but we may well suspect that it had its root in deeper 
and political grounds. See the celebrated letter from Aldhelm (afterwards 
Bishop of Sherborne, a.d. 705) to G-erontius, King of the West- Welsh. It will 
be found in Cressy. A British bishop could not be received into the Anglo- 
Saxon Church without re-ordination. " Qui ordinati sunt Scottorum vel Brit- 
tonum episcopi, qui in Pascha vel tonsura catholicse non sunt adunati ecclesise, 
iterum a catholico episcopo manus impositione confirmentur. Licentiam quo- 
que non habemus eis poscentibus chrisma vel eucharistiam dare, nisi ante con- 
fessi fuerint velle nobiscum esse in unitate eccleBise." — Theod. Cap. et Frag. 
Thorpe's Ancient Laws, vol. ii. p. 64. 



GENERAL REMARKS. 101 

and peculiar significancy. The phrase that Ealdred, the 
bishop, should rule and govern his diocese like other bishops 
who were under tfie king's authority (sicuti alii episcopi qui 
sunt in mea ditione), an expression which seemed to imply 
that the bishop held his see under a different title, becomes 
plain and intelligible. 1 The same view of the case serves 
to explain the difficulties attendant on the Bodleian MS. 
That document could not well have mentioned the crea- 
tion of the Cornish see, if it had taken its rise at some 
period antecedent to the Saxon rule : a period respecting 
which the Saxons were probably not only ignorant, but 
had no desire to be informed. We can also understand 
the guarded silence respecting it, which Leofrick observed 
in his correspondence with the Pope. The British church 
for a long while was independent of Rome, and refused 
to acknowledge the supremacy of the papal power. Now, 
unless at the time we speak of, the Cornish church had 
made its submission, of which we have no assurance, it 
would obviously have been inconvenient, and, perhaps, 
unsafe, for Leofrick to recognise an episcopate which, at 
Rome, would have been either regarded as founded in 
schism, or otherwise would have been treated as a 
nullity. By the aid of this interpretation we may also 
find an explanation of the uncertainty which hangs over 
the place of the Cornish see, as well as a satisfactory 
cause for the apparent anomaly of a double see. If 
we adopt the hypothesis of Dr. Whitaker, and suppose 
that the Cornu-British bishop had been seated first at 
Exeter, but had been compelled, by the encroachments of 
the Saxon power, to retreat to Saint Germans, he would, 
undoubtedly, have been under a like necessity to with- 

1 If we compare the language of this charter with King JEthelstan's grant to 
the Crediton bishop, Appendix No. XI., both being on a similar subject, the 
peculiarity of JEthelred's will be more striking. 



102 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

draw from that locality also, as soon as the Saxons had 
established themselves on the western side of the river 
Tamar : an event which took place some considerable 
time before the reign of King iEthelstan. Now, we know 
of no place where the bishop conld have then seated 
himself more conveniently than the monastery of Saint 
Petrock. Here then, possibly, he and his successors may 
have continued to exercise their episcopal functions until 
the entire submission of the county to the Saxon power, 
and until the English sovereign thought fit, in his royal 
bounty, to reinstate the bishop at the former see of Saint 
Germans ; and we are by no means sure that the charter 
of King iEthelred may not have had that object in view. 
At all events, upon this happening, the formal annex- 
ation of Saint Petrock's monastery to the see would 
seem naturally to follow, as it would give a permanency 
and legal validity to that connection between them which 
previously had been only casual, and possibly without 
the sanction of competent authority. Under a condition 
of things such as we have suggested, we find no difficulty 
in comprehending how it happened that Saint Petrock's 
came to be regarded as the place of the see as well as 
Saint Germans. We can also understand how it was that 
while one moiety of the manor of Saint Germans was 
alienated from the monastery to support the Exeter see, 
no portion of the estates of Saint Petrock was so appro- 
priated. The former falling to the English crown by 
right of conquest, the monarch would have had a right 
to dispose of its possessions, while no such right existed 
with regard to Saint Petrock's. 

On looking at the several facts from the point of view 
now suggested, they acquire a harmony and consistency 
which previously were wanting, and the obscurities which 
surrounded the subject seem to disappear. Nevertheless, 



GENERAL REMARKS. 103 

inasmuch as this assumption of a British see at Saint 
Germans with a compulsory removal to Saint Petrock's, 
however probable it may appear to our own mind, and 
however well adapted it may be to remove the difficulties 
which, without it, we labour under, is supported by no 
positive proof, we cannot ask for an unqualified accept- 
ance of it, but only for such a degree of acquiescence as 
it may be thought fairly entitled to. 

The reason assigned in King Eadward's charter for 
the removal of the two sees to Exeter, was the better 
security which that town afforded against the attacks of 
pirates, to which it is stated, " the Cornish and Crediton 
churches" had been subjected. The Bodleian MS., 
which ascribes the act to Leofrick, also represents him 
as having this object in view. The sincerity of these 
statements is suspected by Dr. Whitaker; 1 and on a 
review of all the circumstances, there appear some 
grounds for this suspicion. Pope Leo's letter, addressed 
to the King in compliance with Leofrick's request, makes 
no suggestion of this kind ; but, on the contrary, merely 
insists on the impropriety of the see being in a village 
instead of a city, and expresses surprise that Leofrick, as 
well as other prelates, should so act. This was evidently 
an allusion to the canons of the church, which required 
that bishops should reside in the large towns. In the 
reign of William the Conqueror, a decree of the Anglican 
Church was passed to enforce this rule. 2 Mr. Kemble 
observes that the first Norman prelates removed many of 
the cathedrals from obscure sites, to the cities which they 
now adorn. Whether this reform sprang from a sincere 
desire to give increased efficiency to the church, or from 

1 Even Exeter had not proved a sufficient defence against the Danish attack 
of a.d. 1003. 

2 William of Malmesbury, Be Reg. Angl. book hi. 



104 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

the luxurious habits and love of ostentation which dis- 
tinguished the continental clergy, of whom large numbers 
had been introduced at that time into the English Church, 
it is impossible to say. We shall also remember that 
the services of Bishop Lyving to the court, had been 
rewarded by the union of the three sees of Worcester, 
Devon, and Cornwall, in his own person ; and that his 
successor Leofrick was the King's Chancellor, as well as 
Chaplain, and one of the many French ecclesiastics which 
the King's partiality for Frenchmen had introduced into 
the Anglican Church. His new episcopacy at Exeter, as 
we have seen, was inaugurated by the presence of the 
monarch and his consort, and an assemblage of nobles 
and dignitaries of the church. As he was evidently a 
favourite with the sovereign, we may suspect that the 
union of the Devon and Cornish sees in his favour was 
not wholly free from motives which had reference to his 
personal interest. Indeed the position of the Cornish 
prelate, if an Englishman, had never probably been 
much to be envied ; separated from his Saxon brethren, 
and in the midst of a Celtic people, alien in blood and 
language, 1 and almost in religion, his situation could not 

1 The little which is known of the Cornish language is far from having 
exhausted the subject. We should like to have seen the researches of the 
learned Edward Lhuyd followed up by some worthy successor in this country. 
The Celtic tongues of the British islands have lately been treated very fully by 
a foreigner: we refer to Professor Zeuss' Orammatica Celtica, 2 vols. Leipsic, 
1853. The ardour of this gentleman, as we learn from the preface, led him to 
visit distant parts of the Continent, and even this country, to inspect such 
ancient MSS. as were to be met with; and it is somewhat unsatisfactory to find 
that he impugns the accuracy of a text-book so well known as Dr. Pryce's 
Cornish Vocabulary , based on the ancient MS. in the Cotton Library ; at the 
same time he subjoins what he assures us is a more faithful copy of that MS. 
He says : — 

" Vocabularium hoc, nusquam antehac plene et recte typis expressum (sunt 
omissa et corrupta multa apud Pryce et Courson) ex codice ipso descripsi et ut 
legitur in eo ad verbum in fine hujus operis addidi." 

Mr. D. Gilbert's edition of the Cornish poem of Mount Calvary, he pro- 



GENERAL REMARKS. 105 

have been one of comfort, and perhaps not even of dig- 
nity. It would not seem unnatural that he should prefer 
to exchange it for a residence in Exeter, which had now 
become a populous and thoroughly English town. But, 
whatever may have been the motives which led to the 
removal of the Cornish see, we are certain that the 
spiritual interests of the Cornish people were not deemed 
of sufficient importance to be regarded as an obstacle ; 
and whilst its revenues were appropriated, in part at 
least, to enhance the splendour and dignity of the Exeter 
episcopate, the unfortunate Cornish-Celts were left to 
their own devices, or to such feeble influences as a dis- 
tant prelate and a few local clergy could exercise over 
their flocks. 

Before we dismiss our subject it will not be out of 
place to advert, although but briefly, to the evidences 
supplied by such architectural remains as now exist. At 
Bodmin we believe nothing of importance will be found 
which can be assigned to the Anglo-Saxon period, or 
even to any very remote age. The site of the ancient 
priory is admitted to be now occupied with a private 
and modern residence, where a few fragments only of 
sculptured stones, of an ancient date, are said to be pre- 
served. The parish church, which is close to the priory, 
and usually deemed l to. have once belonged to it, is a 
large building, but without any striking peculiarity and 
can claim no earlier date than a.d. 1469-71, at which 

nounces to be so inaccurate as to make one suppose that even the errors of the 
press had not been corrected : — 

" Male certe se habet cornicus textus hujus editionis, tam male, ut vix credi 
possit, correctionem esse factam in eo vel sphalmatum typothetarum." 

M. Courson's Comparative Glossary will be found in his Histoire des Peujples 
Bretons dans la Gaule et dans les lies JBritanniques. Paris, 1846. 

1 But it is now thought otherwise. William of Worcester, who visited the 
place in 1478, describes the parish church and conventual church as distinct 
buildings. 



106 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

period it was rebuilt. Within the churchyard, and at 
its eastern end, is a small chapel, the timeworn exterior 
of which bespeaks a higher antiquity. But its beautiful 
eastern window, of the Decorated style, forbids our sup- 
posing it to have preceded the church, in point of time, 
by much more than a century. 

At St. Germans we shall meet with objects of greater 
interest. Of the ancient priory it is true no vestige now 
remains which can with certainty be ascribed to it ; and 
its site is now occupied with the mansion of Port Eliot, 
the seat of the Earl of Saint Germans, whose ancestry 
have been its owners almost from the time when the mo- 
nastery was dissolved. The conventual but now parish 
church, however, stands close by it, and presents to us 
a venerable and imposing monument of a remote age. 
The body of the church, although much curtailed of its 
primitive proportions, is still a spacious and handsome 
structure, but possessing no special claims on the atten- 
tion of the antiquary, which will be mainly directed to 
its western facade. Here a gable, surmounted with a 
cross, is flanked on either side with a tower raised to a 
considerable elevation above the church. Beneath the 
gable is a central doorway, forming a prominent and 
remarkable feature of the building. As is usual in the 
Norman construction, it consists of a circular arch, 
deeply recessed, and profusely enriched with concentric 
bands of sculptured mouldings, among which the well- 
known chevron ornament is conspicuous. Time and the 
elements have not spared this elaborate work of art. 
Its finer lines, and more delicate traceries, have in great 
measure disappeared ; and the artist's labour of love is 
hastening to complete decay. The tower on the southern 
side is of square form ; the upper part, as we may infer 
from its window of the Decorated style, appearing to be 



GENERAL REMARKS. 107 

of more modern construction than the basement, which 
is characterised by round arched openings. This por- 
tion is evidently of coequal age with the gable and 
central doorway, and likewise with the tower on the 
north side, which also is distinguished by similar open- 
ings. This tower, unlike the other, is square only below, 
and in its upper half assumes the somewhat unusual 
but graceful form of an octagon. Although still entire, 
and preserving its original stateliness, it is now embraced 
on every side by the clasping ivy, the foliage of which, 
falling in thick clusters, conceals from view the decrepi- 
tude of a hoary age. On entering the church by the 
western door, an arched opening on either hand admits 
to the basement story of each tower, from whence a 
similar arch formerly afforded entrance to the corre- 
sponding side aisle. These arches are pointed, and 
spring from columns, or rather piers, possessing* some- 
what of that massive character which, is peculiar to the 
Norman age. They are in great perfection, and will be 
best seen from within the towers, where they have been 
less exposed. The spectator may well be surprised at 
the marvellous sharpness and freshness of the workman- 
ship, which seems now, after the lapse of centuries, to 
have just left the workman's hands. 1 Now, this occur- 
rence cotemporaneously, of round and pointed arches, 
indicates what is termed the later or semi-Norman period 
of architecture ; which it is well understood prevailed 
through most of the twelfth century. 

It will be evident from this description, that Saint 
Germans church has no pretensions to claim so early a 
date as the time of the Cornish episcopate, which indeed 

1 The arches in the body of the church, and supporting its roof, are not 
without interest; those in contiguity with the western gable are evidently 
coeval with it. 



108 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

it falls short of, at the lowest estimate, by half a century, 
There will be found at Exeter a record that Bishop 
Bronescombe consecrated the conventual church at Saint 
Germans a. d. 1261. This date, on the other hand, seems 
somewhat too low for any building of the semi-Norman 
character; and we must presume that some portions only 
of the church had been then reconstructed. 1 

Near the church is the farm of Cuddenbeake, belong- 
ing to the manor of the same name. 2 The ownership of 
this property, not many years since, passed from the 
hands of the Bishop of Exeter into those of the noble 
family at Port Eliot. We cannot doubt that this pro- 
perty was comprised in the twelve hides of land appro- 
priated to the bishop when the see was removed to 
Exeter. The farm-house is seated on a point of land 
projecting into the estuary or tidal waters of the Lyner. 
It is an old building, but has no claims to our notice 

1 There is not, however, so great a difference of time as to preclude the possi- 
bility of this consecration having reference to the building we have just described, 
if we may be permitted to conjecture that the semi-Norman style lingered in 
the remoter parts of the kingdom some time after it had fallen into disuse 
elsewhere. 

2 Dr. Whitaker has investigated the derivation of this word with his usual 
research, and referred it to a Celto-Norman etymon, signifying a " wooded pro- 
montory." There would be no objection to this derivation, but for the circum- 
stance that in very old documents the word is written "Cotyngbek" ["coment 
que la manoir de Cotyngbek" — Correspondence respecting Saint Berian temp. 
Ed. III. Oliver's Monasticon, fol. 10], evidently " cot-in-bek," or "the dwelling 
on the beak," the first word being of English instead of Celtic origin. "Bek " 
probably signified in this instance a narrow piece of water such as that on which 
Cuddenbeake is situate. We shall find it so defined in a charter dated, accord- 
ing to Mr. Kemble, before 1022. [No. 733, Cod. Dip.] " Inter hsec stagna 
est aqua angusta duorum stadiorum longa quae uocatur Trendmsere bece. — In 
australi parte illius est aqua angusta trium stadiorum longa quae uocatur Scsel- 
fremsere bece, — in cuius fine est stagnum quod uocatur Scselfrerngere," &c. Even 
here it may possibly signify "mouth," synonymous with "bill" and "beak." 
But "bece" is a Saxon term for river, and " beck," in the north of England, 
is still used for a brook, assimilating with the Gferman " bach." 

Cuddenbeake was termed a borough as well as manor, but never sent mem- 
bers to the House of Commons. 



GENERAL REMARKS. 109 

either for its antiquity or otherwise. It has been sup- 
posed, that on its site stood the bishop's palace, when 
St. Germans was the place of the see ; and Dr. Whitaker 
appears to adopt this opinion. It is scarcely necessary 
to say that it is purely conjectural, and rests on no 
authority. Indeed we are far from being satisfied, that 
in those early times the Bishop of Cornwall had a sepa- 
rate residence. For many ages the prelates of the 
Anglo-Saxon Church, as we learn from Beda, led a life of 
apostolic simplicity. They were without wealth, jour- 
neying sometimes on foot, and making a single room 
their abode. They probably resided in common, with a 
body of clergy or canons, attached to some church, or in 
some monastic establishment. By the irruption of foreign 
manners, about the time of the removal of the see, these 
simple habits of ihe prelacy underwent, no doubt, a mate- 
rial change ; but antecedently, we should be disposed to 
think the Cornish bishop would have resided within the 
walls of the monastic institutions at Saint Germans and 
Saint Petrock's. Mr. Lysons styles Cuddenbeake House 
a country seat of the bishops. The proximity of the 
priory may have induced them, in comparatively modern 
times, to erect such a building on this spot, which was 
their own property, to be temporarily used when their 
duties called them into the county. But should we as- 
sume that the Cornish bishop had a separate residence, 
we should without hesitation assign it to this locality. 1 

1 At a subsequent period, the manor of Cuddenbeake evidently took the 
first position among the episcopal estates in Cornwall ; for we find that in 
the controversy between the Black Prince and the Bishop of Exeter, respecting 
the exemption of St. Berian from the bishop's jurisdiction, the prince reminds 
the bishop that this manor, with other lands, had been conferred on the see by 
the royal ancestors of the prince, for the discharge of the episcopal functions : 
" la manoir de Cotyngbek et autres terres esteient a ceo qui est dit, as evesques 
du dit lieu par nos progenitours doneez et grauntees pour toute telle adminis- 
tration," &c. — See Oliver's Monast. St. Berian. [The right of the prince seems 
to have been finally established ; but by a recent act of Parliament (13 and 14 



110 THE EPISCOPATE OF CORNWALL. 

We may learn from this brief view of the architectural 
remains, that they are not calculated to throw much light 
on the subject of our inquiry. Nevertheless, the style 
of grandeur belonging to those portions of the conven- 
tual church at Saint Germans, which have escaped the 
ravages of time, is sufficient to impress our minds with 
somewhat exalted notions of the building in its original 
integrity, as well as of the wealth, power, and taste of 
the ecclesiastical body which gave it existence. And 
even in this impression we may discern, as it were, a 
faint shadow or reflection of the episcopal seat ; for 
nowhere else do we find similar traces of those elements 
which would have been suitable, if not essential to the 
proper maintenance of its power and dignity. 

Having now brought to a close this investigation of 
the Cornish Episcopate through all its numerous intri- 
cacies we shall possibly have retorted upon us the 
awkward interrogative " Cui bono ? " And in an age so 
eminently practical as the present, when no pursuits but 
such as have an immediate application to the wants and 
interests of mankind, are likely to receive much favour 
from the public, we acknowledge that it would not be 
easy to return a conclusive answer to this question. 
Nevertheless we console ourselves with the reflection, 
that if no subject were permitted to exercise the intellect 
but such as strictly fell within the class of the useful 
and practical, how greatly would the sphere of human 
knowledge be contracted, and we may add, how greatly 
the sum of human happiness be diminished ! There is, 
we believe, implanted in our minds a natural longing 
for the truth, for its own sake, and apart from all consi- 

Vict. c. 76), the Duke of Cornwall has relinquished the exemption.] Bishop 
Lacy addressed a letter to the Prior of Launceston, dated from Cuttynbek, 
Aug. 14, 1445. — Oliver's Monast.^ Supp. ii. p. 3. 



GENERAL REMARKS. Ill 

derations of its utility. Even in things with which we 
have little or no concern, we dislike to think that we may 
lie under a mistake. It is in all matters a pleasing satis- 
faction to know what is entitled to our belief, and what is 
not ; to be able lo separate the true from the false, the 
known from the unknown ; and to assign to the latter 
their just limits. The mind, perplexed and wearied with 
fruitless endeavours to solve its doubts, like the dove 
hovering over the abyss of waters, seeking in vain where 
she may rest her foot, rejoices to obtain repose within 
the ark of certainty and truth. Should our pages serve 
but to afford the inquirer some such gratification as this, 
they will not have been written in vain. 



APPENDIX. 



115 



APPENDIX 



No. I. 



King Mthelstan 's Gift of Relics to the Monastery of Saint 
Mary and Saint Peter , at Exeter, on his founding the 
same} 

[From Dugdale's Monasticon; transcribed from the MS. in the Bodleian 

Library.] 

Her pputelaS on 3ipum jepnite be 3am halgum neliquium 
be v/Bbelpta pe pujibpulla kyning geap into Sancta OOajiian 
anb Sancte Petnep mynptne on Exanceptne, Eobe to lope, 
pop. nip paple ahpedneppe eallum bam be ba halgan ptope 
jepecab anb gepunbiab to ecene hsele. 

tUitobhce pe ilea kynmg T^belpta ba ba he septen hip psedep. 
Gadpand cynemce onpeng, ^j bunh Eobep jipe ana jepeolb 
ealiep Gnjlanbep be asp him manege cymngep betpix heom 
haepbon, ba com he on pnmne psel hiben to Gxanceptne, ppa 
ppa het op pobpseptpa manna page gepypin gepseb yvdy. -3 he 
ongan pmeagan ^ beahtian hpset him pseloffc psejie to gepon- 
bienne op hip cynehcum mabmum Eob to lope anb him 
pylpum anb hip beobe to ecene beajipe. 

Be yBlmihtija Eob, ]?a be eallum bam be pel bencab pimle 
lp pultum anb pmbmenb, gepenb ham Eoban cyninje bone 

1 Page 70. 



116 APPENDIX. 

ge}?anc on f he mib J?am jepytenbhcum madmuni )>a nnateo- 
pienhcan mabmap begifcan pceolbe. he penbe ]?a open pse 
gefcpipe men anb gepceabpipe anb hig pepbon ppa pibe lanbep 
ppa hig papan mihfcon., anb mib ]?am madmum begeafcon J>a 
beoppupJ?epfcan mabmap ]?e aeppe open eonJ>an beptene mihton 
beon. J?a psep halijbom pe msepfca op jepilcum ptopum pyban 
anb pyban jejabepob. anb hig ]?one ]?am popepseban cynmj 
bpohfcon. anb pse cynmje mib micelpe blyppe Eobe y^y 
ftancobe. 

He bebeab J?a $ man hep on Gxancepfcpe, J?sep psep him sep 
Eob ftone nyttpipban jebanc on bepenbe, mynytej\ apsepan 
pceolbe. Eobe to pupj?minte, and ftsepe heopenlican cpene 
panctam ClOapian Cpipfcep mobep, anb Sancte Petpe J?3epa 
apoptola ealbpe, )?one pe ilea cynmg him to munbbopan ge- 
copen hsepbe. anb he jeap Jnbep inn pix anb tpenfcig cottlipa, 
anb J>one ]?pybban dsel bsep popepseban halij domep )?ybepmn 
let; bon, hip 'p a pl e t0 ecepe alypebnyppe anb eallnm J?am to 
hylpe J>e ]?a halgan ptope J?e pe hahgdom on lp mib geleapan 
gepeca}? anb pup]?iaj;. 

Nu pille pe eop pegcan bufcan zelcepe leapunge hpsefc pe 
halijdom lp ]?e hep on Jnpum haljum mynptpe lp, and 
jeppitu pop]? mib fte jeppntelia]? bufcan selcepe fcpeonunge 
hp&efc anpa gehpilc "Sepa hahjboma beo. 

Epopfc, op ftam pylpan beoppypJ>an fcpeope J?aepe haljan 
nobe $e Cpipt on ]?popobe anb up ealle J?sep on op j?aep beop- 
lep anpal&e alypbe. 



Note. — We have inserted, though with some hesitation, translations of all 
the documents and other evidences contained in the Appendix — conceiving 
that, to some readers, they may possibly be acceptable. 



APPENDIX. 



117 



Translation of the foregoing. 

Here is it witnessed, by this writing, concerning the holy 
relics which iEthelsta, the worshipful King, gave unto Saint 
Mary and Saint Peter's Minster, at Exancestre, for the praise 
of God, for his own salvation, and for the everlasting health 
of all those who that holy place seek and honour. 

Verily the same King iEthelsta, when that he, after his 
father Eadward took to the kingdom, and through God's 
gift alone wielded all England, which before him many kings 
betwixt them had; then came he on some occasion hither to 
Exancestre, 1 so as it was aforetime said, in the sayings of 
truthful men ; and he began to meditate and consider what it 
were best for him to promote, by means of his kingly riches, 
for God's praise, and for his own and his people's everlasting 
advantage. 

The Almighty God, who to all those who purpose well, is 
ever both a support and assistance, sent to the good King 
the thought that he, out of his corruptible riches, should 
obtain imperishable riches. Then sent he over sea true men 
and discreet, and they fared to lands as far away as they could 
fare, and with those riches obtained the most precious riches 
that ever upon earth could be obtained. Then was there the 
greatest number of holy relics gathered together, out of every 
place, far and wide ; and they brought them then to the afore- 
said King, and by the King with much joy was God thanked. 

Then commanded he that here, at Exancestre, there where 
to him God the needed thought had sent, a minster should 
be raised, for the honour of God and of the heavenly Queen, 

1 It is well known that a gemot or Saxon parliament was held by iEthelstan 
at Exeter, at which certain dooms or laws were passed, but the date is not ascer- 
tained. There was a gemot at Exeter a.d. 928, which may have been the time. 
— Saxons in England, vol. ii. 253. It is said that iEthelstan was in Exeter 
A.d. 926, the year after his accession to the crown, and in which his subjugation 
of Howel is recorded. — Sed Qu. 



118 APPENDIX. 

holy Mary, Christ's mother, and Saint Peter the chief Apostle, 
whom the same King had chosen for his protector ; and he 
gave therennto six -and- twenty cotlifs (manors), and the third 
part of the aforesaid holy relics he thereunto left for a gift for 
his soul's everlasting salvation, and the help of all those who 
that holy place, wherein those sacred relics are, with faith 
should seek and honour. 

Now desire we to declare unto you, without any omission, 
what those holy relics are which are here in this holy minster ; 
and the writings here set forth, which witness, without any 
uncertainty, what every one of those holy relics be. 

First : — of the selfsame precious wood of the holy cross, on 
which Christ suffered, and all us thereon from the devil's 
power delivered. 

(Here follows a long list of other relics.) 



119 



No. II 

Charter of King JEthelred. 1 
a.d. 994. 
[No. 686, Cod. Dip. MS. Harl. 358, fol. 31. N. Mon. ii. p. 535.] 
>J< 2 Rector altipolorum culminis atque arcbitector summse 
fabricse setberese aulae, ex nihilo qnidem cuncta creauit, coelum, 
scilicet, et terrain, et omnia quae in eis sunt, Candida qnidem 
angelica agmina, solem, lunam, lucidaqne astra, et csetera 
quae super firmamento snnt ; mundi antem fabricam inenarra- 
bili disponens ordine ut Genesis testator, (i Et hominem sexto 
die formauit ad similitndinem snam/ J Adam nidelicet qnadri- 
formi plasmatnm materia, unde nunc constat genus bumanum, 
quae in terris moratur, et ima terra laruarica latibula, ubi et 
Lucifer cum decimo ordine per superbiam de ccelo ruit. Sed 
et hoc inuidet pestifer Cbelidrus protoplastum a deo conditum 
intellexerat ut boc impleret, a quo ipse miser, et satelliti illius 
de coelo proiecti sunt. Heu ! quidem boni creati sunt sed 
miser abiliter decepti. Ideo inuidus Zabulus totis uiribus 
homini inuidet, suadet mulieri, mulier uiro, per suasionem 
atque per inobedientiam ambo decepti sunt fraudulenter per 
gustum pomi ligni uetiti, atque amcenitate Paradisi deiecti 
sunt in boc serumnoso sseculo, et lcetum sibi ac posteris suis 
promeruerunt, atque in tetrum abyssi demersi sunt. Sed boc 
misericors et piissimus pater indoluit perire tamdiu nobilem 
creaturam sui imaginem ; misertus est generi bumano ; misit 
nobis in tempore, id est post quinque millia annorum, pro- 
prium filium suum, ut mundum perditum iterum renouaret ; 
ut sicut mulier genuit mortem in mundo, ita per mulierem 
enixa est nobis uita in mundo; et sicut per delictum Adae 

1 Page 76. 

2 A charter of King Cnut, a.d. 1019, No. 729, Cod. Dip. has a proem similar 

to this, 



120 APPENDIX. 

omnes corruimus, ita per obedientiam Christi omnes surrexi- 
mus ; et sicut mors per lignum intromit, ita et nita per lignum 
sanctae crucis uenit ; et antiquum inimicum superauit; et fortis 
fortem alligauit, et in imo barathro retrusit : iuste periit qui 
iniuste decepit, atque omnes antiquas turmas a fauce pessimi 
leonis eripuit, et ouem perditam in humeris posuit, et ad anti- 
quam patriam reduxit, et decimum ordinem impleuit. Unde 
ego iE^elredus, compunctus dei misericordia, totius Albionis 
caeterarumque gentium triuiatim persistentium basileus, dum 
plerumque cogitarem de huius saeculi caduci rebus transitoriis, 
quomodo superni arbitris examine, cuncta quae uidentur uana 
sunt, et quse non uidentur aeterna, et cum transitoriis rebus 
perpetua praemia adquirantur. Qua de re, nunc patefacio 
omnibus catholicis, quod cum consilio et licentia episcoporum 
ac principum, et omnium optimatum meorum, pro amore do- 
mini nostri Ihesu Christi atque sancti confessoris Germani 
necnon et beati eximii Petroci, pro redemptione animae meae, 
et pro absolutione criminum meorum donaui episcopium 
Ealdredi episcopi, id est in prouincia Cornubiae ut libera sit, 
eique subiecta omnibusque posteris eius, ut ipse gubernet 
atque regat suam parocniam sicuti alii episcopi qui sunt in 
mea ditione, locusque atque regimen sancti Petroci semper in 
potestate eius sit successorumque illius. Itaque omnium rega- 
lium tributorum libera sit, atque laxata ui exactorum operum, 
pcenaliumque causarum, necnon et furum comprehensione, 
cunctaque saeculi grauedine, absque sola expeditione, atque 
libera perpetualiter permaneat. Quicunque ergo hoc augere 
atque multiplicare uoluerit, amplificet deus bona illius in 
regione uiuentium, paceque nostra conglutinata uigens et 
florens, atque inter agmina beatitudinis tripudia succedat, qui 
nostrae donationis muneri consentiat. Si quis uero tarn epi- 
lemticus philarguriae seductus amentia, quod non optamus, 
hanc nostrae eleemosynae dapsilitatem ausu temerario infrin- 
gere temptauerit, sit ipse alienatus a consortio sanctae dei 



APPENDIX. 121 

aecclesise, necnon et a participatione sacrosancti corporis et 
sanguinis Ihesu Christi filii dei, per quern totus terrarum orbis 
ab antiquo humani generis inimico liberatus est, et cum Iuda 
Christi proditore sinistra in parte deputatus, ni prius hie digna 
satisfactione humilis poenituerit, quod contra sanctam dei 
secclesiam rebellis agere prsesumpsit, nee in uita hac practica 
ueniarn, nee in theorica requiem apostata obtineat ullam, sed 
seternis barathri incendiis trusus iugiter miserrimus crucietur. 
Anno dominicse incarnationis .dcccc.xciiii. indictione .yn. 
scripta est hsec cartula a uenerabili archiepiscopo Sigerico 
Dorobernensis secclesise huius munificentiae chirographa ; hiis 
testibus consentientibus, quorum inferius nomina decusatim 
domino disponente caraxantur. 

>J« Ego iE^elredus Britannise totius Anglorum monarchus 
hoc agiae crucis taumate roboraui. >J< Ego Sigeric Dorober- 
nensis aecclesise archiepiscopus prsefati regis beneuolentia3 lsetus 
consensi. >fr Ego iElfheah prsesul canonica subscriptione 
manu propria hilaris et triumphans subscripsi. >fc Ego Ealdred 
plebis dei famulus iubente rege signum sanctse crucis plaudens 
impressi. >J< Ego iElfwold pontifex agise crucis testudine in- 
tepidus hoc donum lepidissime roboraui. >J< Ego Ordbrieht 
legis dei catascopus hoc eulogium propria chira deuotus con- 
solidaui. ►£< Ego iElfrich episcopus Wiltanse ciuitatis con- 
sensi et subscripsi. >J4 Ego Wulfsye episcopus Shyreburnensis 
jecclesiaB consensi et subscripsi. >J< Ego iE^elwerd dux. 
►J< Ego iElfric dux. >J< Ego Leofric dux. >J< Ego Leofwyne 
dux. >J< Ego Leofric abbas. >J< Ego Alfred abbas. >J< Ego 
iElfric abbas. tfr Ego Brichtelm abbas. ►£< Ego iE3elmar 
minister. >J< Ego Ordulf minister. >J< Ego Beorhtwold 
minister. >J< Ego iEftelmar minister. ^ Ego iElfric minis- 
ter. >J< Ego iElfwine minister. >J< Ego Leofwyne minister. 
>J< Ego Osulf minister. 1 

1 The inflated style, the affectation of grecisms and manifold conceits, ob- 
servable in this and the succeeding documents, are characteristic of all Anglo- 
Saxon charters of the age to which these belong. In a work of this kind it will 



122 APPENDIX. 

Translation of King MthelreoVs Charter. 
a.d. 994. 

The Ruler of high heaven's pinnacle, and Architect of the 
all-surpassing fabric of the ethereal mansion, out 

6 proe of nothing indeed created all things : the heaven, 
to wit, and the earth, and all things which are in them ; in- 
deed the bright angelic hosts, the sun, the moon, and shining 
stars, and what else is in the firmament : but disposing the 
fabric of the world in indescribable order, as Genesis wit- 
nesseth, " And on the sixth day he made man, after his own 
likeness ; " Adam, to wit, moulded out of four-form matter ; 
whence now appear the race of men, which abide on the 
earth, and the lowest parts of the earth, the secret abodes 
of demons, where even Lucifer, with the tenth order, through 
pride, fell from heaven. But, moreover the pestiferous Cheli- 
drus (the serpent) hates the first formed man, of God created ; 
he had understood how he should fill up that, from whence 
the unhappy one himself and his satellites had been cast 
out of heaven. 1 Alas ! good indeed were they created, but 
miserably beguiled. So envious Zabulus (Satan) envies man 
with all his might; persuades the woman, the woman the 
man: by persuasion and disobedience, both were beguiled, 
through fraud, by tasting the fruit of the forbidden tree; 
and from the pleasures of Paradise were cast out into this 
sorrowful world, and death for themselves and their posterity 

not be expected that we should explain the nature and peculiarities of this class 
of writings. We can only refer the reader to such authors as expressly treat of 
them, especially to Mr. Kemble's Introduction to the Cod. Dip., where the sub- 
ject has been fully and ably investigated. 

1 The opinion that mankind were created to supply the vacancy left in heaven 
by the expulsion of the rebellious angels, was seized on by Milton, and em- 
bodied in his great epic. The medieval theologians were wont to distinguish 
the angelic hosts according to the following nine orders : — 1. Seraphim ; 2. Che- 
rubim ; 3. Thrones ; 4. Dominations ; 5. Virtues ; 6. Powers ; 7. Princedoms ; 
8. Archangels ; 9. Angels. Hence the allusion above to the tenth order. 



APPENDIX. 123 

merited, and they were sunk in the foul abyss. But thereon 
the merciful and most loving Father, grieved that the noble 
creature, his own image, should so long perish; he took 
pity on mankind ; he sent to us in time, that is, after five 
thousand years, his own Son, that he might again renew the 
lost world ; that as the woman begot death into the world, so 
by the woman has life been born to us in the world ; and as 
by the offence of Adam we have all fallen, so by the obedience 
of Christ we have all risen again ; and as death entered by the 
tree, so too life has come by the tree of the holy cross, and 
has overcome the old enemy ; and the strong has bound the 
strong, and thrust him down into the lowest gulf. Justly has 
he perished who. unjustly deceived, and all the old flocks has 
he snatched from the jaw of the worst of lions; and the lost 
sheep he has laid on his shoulders, and brought back to the old 
country, and filled up the tenth order. Whence I, iEthelred, 
moved by the mercy of God, King of all Albion, and of the 
other nations adjacent thereto, whilst I was thinking much of 
the transitory things of this failing world, how, in the exa- 
mination of the supreme Judge, all things which are seen are 
vain, and those which are not seen are eternal; and how, 
with transitory things, perpetual rewards may be acquired : 
wherefore I now make known to all Catholics, that 
with the advice and permission of the bishops and 
princes, and of all my nobles, for the love of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, and the holy Confessor Germ anus, as well as of the 
blessed excellent Pretrocus, for the redemption of my soul, 
and for the absolution of my sins, I have granted the bishop- 
rick of Ealdred the Bishop, that is, in the province of Corn- 
wall, that it may be free, and subject to him and all his suc- 
cessors; that he may govern and rule his diocese as other 
bishops who are under my authority ; and the place and rule 
of Saint Petrocus may be always in his power, and in that of 
his successors. And so that it may be free from all royal 



124 APPENDIX. 

tributes, and released from the obligation of compulsory works 
and penal liabilities (but with the apprehension of thieves), 
and from every secular burden, military service only excepted, 

and so free perpetually may remain. Whoever, 
' therefore, shall wish to increase and multiply this, 
may God enlarge his possessions in the region of the living ; 
and, strong and flourishing in our well- cemented peace, may 
he attain among the hosts the joys of blessedness, who shall 
consent to this gift of our presentation. But if any one so 
diseased, by the madness of the love of money seduced, which 
we desire not, this liberality of our charity with rash endea- 
vour shall try to violate, may he be alienated from the fellow- 
ship of God's holy Church, as well as from the participation of 
the most holy body and blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, 
by whom the whole orb of the earth hath been delivered from 
the old enemy of mankind ; and be consigned with Judas, the 
betrayer of Christ, to the left-hand part, unless he shall first, 
with worthy satisfaction, humbly repent, because he hath pre- 
sumed to act as a rebel against the holy Church of God ; nor 
may the apostate obtain pardon in this actual life, or rest in 
that which is contemplated ; but, thrust into the eternal fires 
of the gulf, may he be for ever miserably tormented. In the 

year of our Lord's incarnation dccccxciiii., in- 

diction vn., is written this charter, by the vene- 
rable Archbishop Sigerick, of the church of Canterbury, a 
chirograph of this munificence ; these witnesses consenting, 
whose names are written below, according to their rank, as 
the Lord has disposed them. 

►£< I, JEthelred, monarch of the English of all Britain, with 

this marvel of the holy cross, have corroborated. 

>J< I, Sigerick, of the church of Canterbury, arch- 
bishop, to the aforesaid King's benevolence have joyfully 
consented. >J< I, iElfeah, prelate, with canonical subscrip- 
tion, by my own hand, cheerfully and triumphantly have 



APPENDIX. 125 

subscribed. »J< I, Ealdred, servant of God's people, by the 
King's command, the sign of the holy cross applaudingly have 
impressed. >J< I, iElfwold, pontiff, with the protection of 
the sacred cross, this gift warmly and most heartily have 
corroborated. >J< I, Ordbricht, of God's law the overlooker, 
this commendation, with my own hand, have devotedly con- 
solidated. >J< I, iElfrich, bishop of the city of Wilton, have 
consented and subscribed. >J< I, TTulfsye, bishop of the 
church of Sherborne, have consented and subscribed. >J< I, 
iEthelwerd, duke. >{< I, iElfrick, duke. >J< I, Leofrick, duke. 
►£< I, Leofwyne, duke. ►£< I, Leofrick, abbat. >$< I, iElfred, 
abbat. >J< I, iElfrick, abbat. >J< I, Brichtelm, abbat. >J< I, 
iEthelmar, minister. >J< I, Ordulf, minister. >J< I, Beorth- 
wold, minister. >J< I, iEthelmar, minister. >J< I, iElfrick, 
minister. >J< I, iElfwine, minister. >J< I, Leofwyne, minister. 
*J< I, Osulf, minister. 1 

1 It is observed by Mr. Kemble, that, towards the beginning of the tenth cen- 
tury, ''the -witnesses vie with one another in the absurdity of their subscrip- 
tions : they seem to have thought it a mark of learning and talent to vary these 
in such a manner as that no one should sign in the exact words introduced by 
another." — Introd. Cod. Dip. vol. i. p. xcr. 

Elsewhere he remarks : — " It is evident, from the handwriting of such ori- 
ginal charters as survive, that no one ever dreamed of subscribing with his own 
hand — few could have done so." — Ibid. p. xciii. 

The charter of iEthelred, given above, was written, as it appears from the 
statement in it, by the Archbishop Sigerick. 



126 APPENDIX. 



No. III. 

Charter of King Cnut. 1 

a.d. 1018. 
[No. 728, Cod. Dip. MS. Lansd. 996, fol. 86. MS. Wanley, fol. 282, b.] 

>J< In nomine sanctse trinitatis ! Cum mundi cursus uario, 
ut cotidie eernimus, incertoque discrimine tendat ad calcem, 
cnique mortalium opus est, ut sic caducam peragat uitam, ut 
quandoque possit dei adiutus [beneficio] possidere perpetuam, 
et quamdiu uitse istius utitur aura cuncta quae iusto statuuntur 
examine certis apicum lineis inserere, ne forte subsequentibus 
ueniant in obliuionem, et sic a iunioribus paruipendatur insti- 
tutio seniorum. Quapropter ego Cnut rex subthronizatus 
Angligenum, cuidam meo fidelissimo episcopo, qui noto uoci- 
tamine nuncupatur Burhwold, condono in seternaa ius haeredi- 
tatisj quandam telluris partieulam, cassatas scilicet quatuor, in 
duobus locis diuisas, ubi ab incolis dicitur Landerhtun, et 
terra aliud Tinieltuu ; ut habeat quamdiu uitalis spiritus in 
hac serumnosa uita fragile corpus aluerit ; et post obitum eius 
terram Landerhtun commendat pro anima eius et regis sancto 
Germano in perpetuam libertatem ; et Tinieltun faciat episco- 
pus quod sibi uisum fuerit. Maneatque, prout iam prsedix- 
eram, donum istud ab omni sseculari seruitio exinanitunr, cum 
omnibus ad se rite pertinentibus, campis, siluis, pascuis, pratis, 
excepta expeditione tantum si necessitas coegerit, et captio 
furum, libertatem teneat ut superius titulatur. Hanc uero 
meam donationem, quod opto absit a fidelium mentibus, minu- 
entibus atque frangentibus, fiat pars illorum cum illis de 

1 Pages 80-87. 



APPENDIX. 127 

quibus e contra fatur, " Discedite a me maledicti in ignem 
aeternum," et caetera ; nisi hie prius satisfaciant ante mortem . 
Istis terminis ista terra hinc inde gyratur, etc. Anno domi- 
nicae incarnation] s millesimo octodecimo scripta est huius 
munificentiae syngrapha, his testibus consentientibus quorum 
nomina inferius caraxata esse uidentur, 

>J< Ego Cnut totius Britanniae monarchus meae largitatis 
donum agiae crucis taumate roboraui, >J< Ego Liuingus Doro- 
bernensis aecclesiae episcopns consensi et subscripsi. >J< Ego 
Wlfstan Eboracensis aecclesiae archiepiscopus signo sanctae 
crucis subscripsi. *J< Ego iElfgyfa regina humillima adiuui. 
>J< Ego iElfsinus episcopus non renui. >J< Ego Brihtwold 
episcopus adquieui. *J< Ego iE^elwine episcopus confirmaui. 
>J< Ego Brihtwine episcopus consilium dedi. >J< Ego Eadnoft 
episcopus consolidaui. >J< Ego Burhwold episcopus conclusi. 
>J< Durcil dux. » >J< Yrric dux. >J< Egillaf dux. >J< Ranig 
dux. >J< iE^elweard dux. >J< Godwine dux. *%* Brihtrig abbas. 
>J< iE^elsige abbas. >J< Brihtmaer abbas. >$< iElfsige abbas, 
»|< iEluere abbas ; >J< iE3 el wold abbas. >J< Bored minister. 
>J< Aslac minister. >J< Tobi minister. >{< iElfgar minister. 
*fr Odda minister. >J< iElfgar minister. 



Translation of King Cnufs Charter. 
a.d. 1018. 

The inroca- I N the name of the holy Trinity ! Inasmuch as 
The proem ^ e course °f tne world, by various, as we daily 
see, and uncertain perils, tendeth to an end, it is 
needful for every mortal so to pass this transitory life, that, 
by God's aid, he may at last be able to secure that which is 
eternal ; and so long as he draws this vital air, to insert, in 
the sure characters of writing, all things which have been 



128 APPENDIX. 

ordained after due examination, lest haply with those who 
follow they might fall into oblivion, and so the decree of the 
elders be set at nought by the younger. Wherefore I, Cnut, 
enthroned King of the English, do grant unto my 
most faithful bishop, who is called by the well- 
known name Burhwold, in right of a perpetual inheritance, a 
certain portion of land, to wit, four hides, in two places di- 
vided, where by the inhabitants it is called Landerhtun, and 
the land elsewhere [called] Tinieltun ; to hold so long as the 
vital breath in this troublous life shall sustain the fragile body ; 
and after his decease, the land Landerhtun, to commit for his 
soul and the King's, to the holy Germanus, in perpetual 
liberty; and Tinieltun, the bishop to deal with as to him shall 
seem fit, And the aforesaid gift to remain, as I have already 
said, from every worldly service exempt ; with all things to the 
same of right appertaining — fields, woods, pastures, meadows 
(military service only excepted, if necessity require), and 
seizure of thieves ; the same liberty to be held in the manner 
above expressed. But as to those who this my 
' endowment shall diminish or violate, which I de- 
sire may be absent from the thoughts of the faithful, may 
their portion be allotted with them of whom, on the other 
hand, it is said — " Depart from me, ye wicked, into eternal 
fire," and so forth, unless they first make satisfaction before 
they die. These are the boundaries by which the land is sur- 
rounded on either side, &C. 1 In the year of our 
The date 

Lord's incarnation, one thousand and eighteen, is 

written the syngraph of this munificence ; these witnesses con- 
senting whose names appear written below : — 

>J< I, Cnut, monarch of all Britain, the gift of my liberality, 

with the marvel of the holy cross, have corrobo- 
The teste 

rated. >J< I, Living, of the church of Canterbury, 

1 As the boundaries are wanting in the document itself, we may infer that it 
is not the original instrument. 



APPENDIX. 129 

bishop, have consented and subscribed. >J« I, Wlfstan, of the 
church of York, archbishop, with the sign of the holy cross, 
have subscribed. >J< I, iElfgyfa, queen, most humbly have 
assisted. >J< I, iElfsinus, bishop, have not refused. >J< I, 
Brihtwold, bishop, have acquiesced. >J< I, iEthelwine, bishop, 
have confirmed. >J< I, Brihtwine, bishop, have advised. 
>J« I, Eadnoth, bishop, have consolidated. >J< I, Burhwold, 
bishop, have concluded. ►£< Thurcil, duke. >$< Yrric, duke. 
>J< Egillaf, duke. >J< Ranig, duke. >J< iEthelweard, duke. 
>{< Grodwine, duke. >J< Brihtrig, abbat. >J< iEthelsige, abbat. 
►J< Brihtmser, abbat. >J< iElfsige, abbat. >J« iEluere, abbat. 
•J< iEthelwold, abbat. >J< Thored, minister. >J< Aslac, minis- 
ter. >J< Tobi, minister. >J< iElfgar, minister. *J* Odda, 
minister. >j< iElfgar, minister. 



K 



130 



No. IV, 

Charter of King Eadward. 1 

a.d. 1050, 

[No. 791, Cod. Dip. MS. C.C.C. Cantab. 59, No. 36.] 

>J< Igitur cum uniuersa in sapientia a deo bene condita sunt, 
uidelicet, ccelum, aruum, et qua3 in eis continentur, dignum 
quippe sequumque dinoscitur fore quamquam impossibilitas 
segrse humanitatis humanos actus pluris calamitatibus contur- 
bet, quo nos qui rectores hominum a deo constituti dicimur 
instinctu supernse clementise iuxta modulum nostrse censurse 
prudenter sequitatem ciuilis exquirere studeamus sciential et 
praecipue res secclesiasticse denique discutiendo tractare ea quae 
cernuntur nostris non sequa optutibus rectius constituere, 
sicque sancita ad profectum innocentise siue utriusque uice 
corroborando gubernare. Equidem gloriosum est nimiumque 
laudabile destructas sedes sanctorum locorum ad diuinum admi- 
niculum inposcendum resedificare, sacraque altaria uenustis 
uelis cum nitore pii cordis uelare, et unamquamque nocturnam 
siue diurnam sinaxim armoniacis modulis resonare. Quaprop^ 
ter ego Eadwardus dei gratia Anglorum rex consilio imbutus 
bonse uoluntatis quum prouisum est mihi, secundum quod 
prsecipitur in diuinis decretis cathedram pontificalem consoli- 
dare Exonise ciuitatis in monasterio beati Petri apostolorum 
principis quod est situm infra moenia eiusdem urbis, auctori- 
tate superni regis meaque mea&que coniugis Eadgyftse, uniuer- 
sorum episcoporum ducumque meorum, per hoc priuilegium 
testamenti atque cautionem eyrographi in perpetuo tempore 
constituto Leofricum, ut sit ibi pontifex, et post ilium cseteri 
affuturi ad laudem et gloriam sanctse et indiuiduse trinitatis, 

1 Page 81. 



APPENDIX. 131 

patris, et filii, et spiritus sancti^ et ad honorem sancti Petri 
apostoli. Dono etiam possessiones omnes ad eundern locum 
pertinentes quseeumque sint, tarn in ruribus,, quam in pascuis, 
pratis, siluis, aquis ? liberis, seruis, ancillis, legibus, censu, 
pagis, deo sanctoque Petro fratribusque canonicis ibi famulan- 
tibus ut habeant iugiter subsidium hubesum corporis quo uale= 
ant Christo militare sine ulla molestia animi. Hoc tamen 
notum papse domino in primis Leoni facio ipsiusque attesta- 
tione confirmo, deincepsque cunctis Anglorum magnatibus 
quod Cornubiensem diocesim, quae olim in beati Germani me- 
moria atque Petroci ueneratione episcopali solio assignata 
fueratj ipsam cum omnibus sibi adiacentibus parochiis, terris, 
uillis, opibus, beneficiis, sancto Petro in Exonia ciuitate trado, 
scilicet, ut una sit sedes episcopalis unumque pontificium et 
una secclesiastica regula propter paucitatem atque deuasta- 
tionem bonorum et populorum quoniam pyratici Cornubiensem 
ac Cryditonensem secclesias deuastare poterant, ac per hoc in 
ciuitate Exoniee tutiorem munitionem aduersus hostes habere 
uisum est et ideo ibi sedem esse uolo. Hoc est ut Cornubia 
cum suis secclesiis et Deuonia cum suis simul in uno episcopatu 
sint et ab uno episcopo regantur. Itaque hoc priuilegium ego 
Eadwardus rex manu mea super alt are sancti Petri pono et 
preesulem Leofricum per dexterum brachium ducens, meaque 
regina Eadgyfta per sinistrum, in cathedra episcopali consisto 
prsesentibus meis ducibus et consanguineis, nobilibus nec- 
non capellanis, et affirmantibus laudantibusque archiepiscopis 
EadsinOj et iElfrico, cum cseteris aliis quorum nomina descri- 
buntur in meta huius cautionis. Enimuero si quis hoc testa- 
mentum priuilegii affirmare post meum uitse transitum et bona 
secclesise augere tuendo uoluerit, adaugeat omnipotens deus 
dies uitse eius, atque centuplo fructu nono decimo coronet eum 
seterno praemio in gaudio sethereo. Si autem, quod absit, ali- 
quis compilator fraudis uel cauillator fautoris nseuo fomitatis 
iniquse cupidinis hanc cautionem seu decretum huius episcopi 



132 APPENDIX. 

destituere aut permutare contempnendo prsesumpserit, uel 
eiusdern minuere et subtrahere substantiam temptauerit, seter- 
nis mancipatus habenis cum diabolo eiusque ministris sit sepa- 
ratus a Christo ipsiusque Sanctis dissegregatione perpetuse 
anathematis fiat. Anno igitur incarnationis dominicse .M.L m0 . 
indictione tertia, epactseque .xxv. et concurrentes .vn. hsec 
cautio scripta est edictione solida karecterata karecteribus tes- 
tium iubente piissimo rege Anglorum Eadwardo gubernante 
eodem foeliciter totius monarchiam maioris Britannia?. 

>J< Ego Eadwardus rex hoc donum cautione hac affirmo. 
>J< Ego Eadsinus archiepiscopus Christi secclesise manu mea 
subscripsi. >J< Ego Elericus archiepiscopus Eboracensis a?c- 
clesiae confirmaui. >J< Ego Stigandus episcopus signum duxi. 
>J< Ego Herimanus episcopus corroboraui. >J< Ego Rodbertus 
episcopus testis fui. >J< Ego Ealdredus consolidaui. >J< Ego 
Doduca episcopus consensi. >J< Ego Godwinus dux. >{< Ego 
Leofricus dux. >J< Ego Siwerdus dux. »J< Ego Haraldus 
dux. >J< Ego Radulfus dux. >J< Ego Tosti nobilis. ►£< Ego 
iEgelwerdus abbas adiuui. >J< Ego iElfuuinus abbas assensi. 
>J< Ego Raeinbaldus presbyter commendaui. >J< Ego God- 
winus presbyter aspiraui. >Ji Ego Godmannus presbyter in- 
terfui. >J< Ego Petrus presbyter laudaui. ►£< Ego Odda nobilis. 
>{< Ego Rymhtricus nobilis. >J< ^go Ordsanus minister. 
^ Ego Celericus minister. >J< Ego Touinus minister. >J< Ego 
Radulphus minister. ^ Ego Dodda minister. >J< Ego 
Eadulfus minister. >J< Ego Ordulfus minister. >J< Ego 
Ecgulfus minister. >J< Ego Eabpisus minister. >J< Ego Celf- 
pendus minister. 



APPENDIX. 133 

Translation of King EadwaroVs Charter. 
ad. 1050. 

>J« Inasmuch as the universe has been well founded in wis- 
dom by God; to wit, the heaven and field, and what 
are contained in them; worthy, surely, and just it 
is acknowledged that it would be (notwithstanding that the im- 
potency of frail humanity may, in a greater degree, disturb 
human acts with calamities) , that we, who are said to be con- 
stituted of God, the rulers of men, with the instinct of divine 
clemency, according to the measure of our judgment, should 
prudently endeavour to search into the equity of civil science; 
and especially the matters of ecclesiastical [science] to submit 
to full examination; the things which appear to our earnest re- 
gard to be not equitable, to constitute more correctly ; and so 
what is established for the advantage of innocence, to put in force 
by the support of one [science] or the other. Indeed, glorious 
is it, and excessively praiseworthy, the ruined edifices of sacred 
places to rebuild for the obtaining of divine aid ; and the holy 
altars, with decent veils to cover, with the gracefulness of a 
pious heart ; and that every nightly and daily service should 
resound with harmonious strains. Wherefore I, 
' Eadward, by the grace of God King of the English, 
actuated by motives of good will, inasmuch as I have ordained, 
according to what is commanded in the divine decrees, to 
consolidate an episcopal chair at the city of Exeter, in the 
monastery of the blessed Peter, chief of the Apostles, which 
is situated within the walls of the same city, by the authority 
of the Heavenly King, by my own, and by that of my consort 
Eadgytha, and of all my bishops and dukes, and by virtue of 
this special grant, and the assurance of this handwriting, for 
all time to come, do constitute Leofrick, that he be the pontiff 
there, and those who shall succeed him, to the praise and glory 
of the holy and indivisible Trinity, Father, and Son, and Holy 
Spirit, and to the honour of holy Peter, the Apostle. I give 



L54 APPENDIX, 

also all possessions to the same place belonging, whatsoever 
they may be, as well in lands as in pastures, meadows, woods, 
waters, freedmen, serfs, and bondwomen, laws, tax, territories, 
unto God and Saint Peter, and to the brotherhood of canons 
there serving, that they may have at all times landed estate 
for the support of the body, whereby they may be enabled to 
be Christ's soldiers without trouble of mind. This, however, 
I make known to the Lord the Pope Leo first of all, and con- 
firm by his own attestation ; then to all the English nobles ; 
that the diocese of Cornwall, which formerly, in memory of 
the blessed Germanus, and in veneration of Petrocus, had been 
assigned to an episcopal throne ; the same with all the parishes 
thereto belonging, lands, vills, substance, benefits, I deliver to 
Saint Peter, in the city of Exeter, to wit, that there may be 
one episcopal seat and one pontificate, and one ecclesiastical 
rule, on account of the paucity and the devastation of goods 
and people, inasmuch as pirates have been able to plun- 
der the Cornish and Cryditon churches - } and on this ac- 
count it has seemed good to have a more secure protection 
against enemies within the city of Exeter ; and so there I will 
the seat to be : that is, that Cornwall with its churches, and 
Devon with its, may be united into one episcopate, and be 
ruled by one bishop : therefore this special grant, I, King 
Eadward, lay with my own hand upon the altar of Saint 
Peter ; and the Prelate Leofriek by the right arm leading, and 
my Queen Eadgytha by the left, I place in the episcopal 
chair, in the presence of my dukes and kinsmen, nobles and 
chaplains, and with the assent and approval of the Archbishops 
Eadsine and iElfrick, and all the others whose names are men- 
tioned at the end of this instrument. Verily, if 

The sanction, - ,. . . ., , . . ,, , . . 

any one this privileged grant shall desire to con- 
firm after my life shall have passed away, and the possessions 
of the church to increase by his support, may the omnipotent 
God increase the days of his life, and with fruit nineteen 



APPENDIX, 135 

hundred fold crown him with a perpetual reward in ethereal 
joy. But if, which we pray may not be, any fraudulent extor- 
tioner, or favouring sophister, with the incentive spot of un- 
righteous desire, this document or decree, in favour of this 
bishop, shall contemptuously presume to spoil or pervert, or 
shall endeavour to diminish or subtract its substance, bound 
with eternal fetters with the devil and his ministers, may he 
be separated from Christ and his saints by the disseverance of 

a perpetual anathema. Fiat ! In the year, there- 
The date. 

fore, of our Lord's incarnation ml., the third in- 

diction, of the epact. xxv., and vn th concurrent, this document 
is written in a firm decree, signed with the signatures of the 
witnesses, by command of the most pious King of the English, 
Eadward, ruling at the same place felicitously the monarchy of 
all the Greater Britain. 

>J« I, Eadward; king, this gift by this assurance affirm. 
>Ji I, Eadsinus, archbishop of Christ's church, 
with my own hand have subscribed. >J< I, Elericus, 
archbishop of the church of York, have confirmed, >J< I, 
Stigand, bishop, have made the sign. >J< I, Heriman, bishop, 
have corroborated. >J< I, Rodbert, bishop, have been a wit- 
ness. >J< I, Ealdred, have consolidated. >J< I, Doduca, bishop, 
have consented. >J< I, Godwine, duke. >J< I, Leofrick, duke. 
>J< I, Siwerd, duke. >J« I, Harald, duke. >J< I, Radulfus, 
duke. >J< I, Tosti, nobilis. >J< I, iEgelwerd, abbat, have 
assisted. >J< I, iElfuuine, abbat, have assented. >J< t Rsein- 
baldus, presbyter, have commended. >J< I, Godwine, presbyter, 
have favoured. >{< I, Godman, presbyter, have taken part. 
>J< I, Petrus, presbyter, have applauded. >J< I, Odda, nobilis. 
>J« I, Rymhtricus, nobilis. ►£< I, Ordsanus, minister. &J< I, 
Celericus, minister. >J< I, Touinus, minister. >J< I, Radulphus, 
minister. >J< I, Dodda, minister. >J< I, Eadulfus, minister. 
>J< I, Ordulfus, minister. >J< I, Ecgulfus, minister, tf* I, 
Eabpisus, minister. >J< I, Celfpendus, minister. 



136 



No. V. 
Charter of Bishop Leofrick? 

HE DIED A.D. 1071. 

[No. 940, Cod. Dip. MS. Harl. 258, fol. 125 1. M.S. Bibl. Bodl. Auct. D. 2, 

16, fol. 1.] 

2 >J< Her swutelaft on 'SissereCristes bee hwaet Leofric bisceop 
hsefS gedon innto sancte Petres minstre on Exanceastre 'Seer 
liis bisceopstol is. Bset is "Sset he hsefS geinnod $set ser geii- 
tod wses jmrh Godes fultum and )?urh his foresprsece and hurh 
his gsersuma, 3set is serost ftset land a3t Culmstoke and $set 
land set Brancescumbe and set Sealtcumbe, and 3set land set 
sancte Maria circean, and ftset land set Stofordtune and set 
Sweartan wille, and Sset land set Morceshille and Sidefullan 
hiwisCj and $set land set Brihtricestane, and ftset land set Top- 
peshamme fte ah $e Harold hit mid unlage utnam, and "Sset 
land set Stoce, and ftset land set Sydebirig, and ftset land 
set Niwantune, and set NorStune, and "Sset land set Clift 'Se 
Wid hsefde. Donne ys ftis se eaca on landum ftset he hsefS 
of his agenum 'Sset mynster mid gegodod, for his hlaforda 
sawlum and for his agenre, 'Sam Godes ]?e6wum to bigleofan 
fte for heora sawlum Jnngian sceolon, "Sset is serost "Sset land set 
Bemtune and set Esttune and set Ceommenige, and "Sset land 
set Doflisc and set Holacumbe and set SuSwuda ; and he ne 
fiinde 3a he to 'Sam mynstre feng nan mare landes Se $ide- 
rynn gewylde waere, 'Sonne twa hida landes set Ide ; and $aeron 
nses orfcynnes nan mare buton .vn. hruSeru. Donne ys -Sis 
seo oncnawennis $e he hsefS God mid gecnawen and sanctum 
Petrum into "Sam halgan mynstre on circlicum madwum, 

1 Page 50. This document is rather a will than a charter. In strictness, 
perhaps, it is neither, but a minute or record only, entered, as was the practice, 
in the vacant leaves of the New Testament. 

2 We have adopted Mr. Kemble's text in preference to Dugdale's. The former 
throughout the Cod. Dip. has substituted Roman for Anglo-Saxon characters 
(retaining only $ and )>). This practice has been countenanced abroad, by the 
distinguished names of Rask, Ettmuller, and Thorkelin. 



APPENDIX. 137 

$aet is Saet he haefS ftiderynn gedon .11. bisceoproda and .11. 
mycele gebonede roda, butan o'Srum litlum silfrenum swurro- 
dum; and .11. mycele Cristes bee gebonede and .111. gebonede 
serin, and .1. geboned alt are and .v. silfrene caliceas and .1111. 
corporales and .1. silfren pipe and .v. fulle maessereaf and .11. 
dalmatica and .111. pistelroccas and .1111. subdiacones handlin 
and .111. cantercaeppa and .111. canterstafas and .v. waellene 
weofodsceatas and .vn. ofbraedelsas and .11. taeppedu and .111. 
berascin and .vn. setlhraegel and .111. ricghraegel and .11. wah- 
raeft and .vr. maesene sceala and .11. gebonede hnaeppas and 
.1111. hornas and .11. mycele gebonede candelsticcan and .vr. 
laessan candelsticcan gebonede and .1. silfren storey lie mid sil- 
frenum storsticcan and .viii. laeflas and .11. giiftfana and .1. 
mere and .vi. midreca and .1. firdwaen and .1. cyste; and ftaer 
naeron aer buton .vii. upphangene bella, and nu 3a synd .xiii. 
lipphangene and .xn. handbella ; and 11. fulle maessebec and 
.1. collectaneum and .11. pistelbec and .11. fulle ,sangbec 
and .1. nihtsang and .1. ad te leuaui and .1. tropere and .11. 
salteras and se ]?riddan saltere swa man singft on Rome ; and 
.11. ymneras and .1. deorwyrSe bletsingboc and .111. 63re and 
.1. Englisc Cristes boc and .11. sumerraedingbec and .1. win- 
terraedingboc and Regula canonicorum and Martyrlogium 
and .1. canon on Leden and .1. scriftboc on Englisc and .1. full 
spelboc winteres and sumeres, and Boeties boc on Englisc and 
.1. mycel Englisc boc be gehwilcum ]?ingum on leo^wisan ge- 
worht. And he ne funde on ftam mynstre fta he tofeng boca 
na ma buton ane capitulare and .1. forealdodne nihtsang and 
.1. pistelboc and .11. forealdode raedingbec swrSe wake and ,1. 
wac maessereaf. And "Sus fela Leden boca he beget innto 'Sam 
mynster; Liber pastoralis, and Liber dialogorum, and Libri 
.111. prophetarum, and Liber Boetii de Consolatione, and lsa~ 
goge Porphirii, and .1. Passionalis, and Liber Prosperi, and 
liber Prudentii psycomachiae, and liber Prudentii ymnorum, 
and liber Prudentii de martyribus, and Liber Ezechielis pro- 
phetae, and Cantica canticorum, and Liber Isaiae prophetae on 



138 APPENDIX. 

sundron, and Liber Isidori etimologiarum, and Passiones 
apostolorum, and Expositio Bedse super euangelium Lucae, and 
expositio Beda3 super Apocalypsin, and Expositio Bedse super 
.vii. Epistolas cauonicas, and Liber Isidori de nouo et ueteri 
testamento, and Liber Isidori de miraculis Christi, and Liber 
Oserii, and Liber Machabeorum, and Liber Persii, and Sedu- 
lies boc, and liber Aratoris, and Diadema monachorum, and 
Glose Statii, and Liber officialis Amalarii. And ofer his daeg 
he ann his capellam ftiderbinnan forS mid himsilfum on eallum 
"Sam Jungum fte he silf dide mid Godes )?eninge on ftaet gerad 
ftaet $a Godes J?eowas fte ftaerbinnan beo$ aefre his sawle gemu- 
non mid heora gebedum and maessesangum to Criste and to 
sancte Petre and to eallum 'Sam halgum fte $aet halige minster 
is foregehalgod, ftaet his sawle beo Gode fte anfengre. And se 
fte ftas gyfu and ftisne unnan wille Gode and sancte Petre 
aetbredan, si him heofena rice aetbroden and si he ecelice geni- 
fterod into helle wite. 



Translation of the foregoing. 

>J< Here is it witnessed, on this Christ's book, what Leofrick 
the bishop hath given unto Saint Peter's minster, at Exan- 
ceastre, where his bishop's seat is. That is, that what was 
formerly taken away, he hath restored, through God's aid, 
and through his intercession, and by means of his treasure ; 
that is to say, first, the land at Culmstoke, and the land at 
Brancescumbe, and at Sealtcumbe, and the land at Saint 
Mary's Church, and the land at Stofordtune, and at Sweartan 
Well, and the land at Morceshille, and Sidefullan Hide, and 
the land at Brihtricestane, and the land at Toppeshamme, 
although Harold hath unlawfully taken it away, and the land 
at Stoce, and the land at Sydebirig, and the land at Niwantune, 
and at Northtune, and the land at Clift, that Wid had. Next, 
this is the increase of lands wherewith he hath of his own 
enriched the minster, for his Lord's soul, and for his own, to 



APPENDIX. 139 

provide for God's people, who for their souls should intercede ; 
that is to say, first the land at Bemtune, and at Esttune, and 
at Ceommenige, and the land at Doflisc, and at Holacumbe, 
and at Suthwuda. And he found, when he took to the min- 
ster, no more lands that were in its possession than two hides 
of land at Ide; and thereon was there no more live stock 
than vii. head of cattle. Next, this is the acknowledgment 
wherewith he hath acknowledged God and Saint Peter at that 
holy minster, in church furniture ; that is to say, that he hath 
given thereto n. bishops' crosses (crosiers) and n. great ivory 
crosses, besides other small silver neck crosses, and n. great 
Christ's books of (or bound with) ivory, and in. ivory caskets, 
and i. ivory altar, and v. silver cups, andnn. corporals (cloths 
to cover the sacred elements), and i. silver pipe, and v. full 
mass dresses, and n. dalmatica (long gowns of the deacons), 
and in. epistle vests, and nn. subdeacons' hand linen (hand- 
kerchiefs), and in. choristers' caps, and in. choristers' staves, 
and v. woollen altar covers, and vn. carpets, and n. tapestries, 
and in. bearskins, and vn. seat covers, and in. back hangings, 
and ii. wall-hangings, and vi. brass scales, and n. ivory cups, 
and nn. horns, and n. great ivory candlesticks, and vi. lesser 
candlesticks of ivory, and i. silver censer with silver censer- 
stick, and vin. ewers, and n. banners, and i. table (?), and vi. 
coffers (?), x and i. military waggon, and i. chest ; and there were 
not formerly but vn. uphanging bells, and now there are xin. 
uphanging and xn. hand bells ; and n. full mass-books, and i. 
of collects, and n. epistle-books, and n. full singing-books, 
and i. night-song, and i. ad te levavi, and i. tropere, and n. 
psalters, and a third psalter, as is sung at Rome, and n. hymn 
books, and i. dear- worth blessing-book, and in. others, and t. 
English Christ's book, and n. summer-reading books, and i. 
winter-reading book, and Regula Canonicorum, and Martyro- 
logium, and i. canon in Latin, and i. confession-book in Eng- 
lish, and i. full book of homilies, winter and summer, and 

1 Qy. " Mese and miderce."— See Dugdale's Monast. " Exeter." 



140 APPENDIX. 

Boethius' book in English; and i. great English book with 
everything wrought poetry-wise. And he found, when he 
took to the minster, no more books than one capitulary, and 
i. very old night-song, and i. epistle-book, and n. very old 
reading-books, very worthless, and one worthless mass-dress. 
And thus many Latin books did he acquire for the minster. 
Liber Pastoralis, and Liber Dialogorum, and in. books of the 
prophets, and the book of Boethius' de Consolatione, and the 
Isagoge of Porphirius, and i. Passionalis, and book of Prosper, 
and Prudentius' book Psycomachia, and Prudentius' book of 
hymns, and Prudentius' book on the Martyrs, and the book of 
Ezekiel the prophet. The Song of Solomon, and book of 
Isaiah the prophet, separately ; and the book of Isidor's Ety- 
mologies, and Passiones Apostolorum, and Beda's Exposition of 
Luke's Gospel, and Beda's Exposition of the Apocalypse, and 
Beda's Exposition of the vn. Canonical Epistles, and Isidor's 
book on the New and Old Testament, and Isidor's book on the 
Miracles of Christ, and the book of Oserius (supposed Orosius), 
and book of Maccabees, and book of Persius, and book of Se- 
dulius, 1 and book of Arator, 2 and Diadema Monachorum, 3 and 
Glossae Statii, and Amalarius' book of Offices. 4 And after his 
day, he gave his ecclesiastical utensils 5 therein, personally 
used by himself in all his ministrations with God's people, on 
the condition that God's servants who should be therein his 
soul should ever remember with their prayers and mass-songs 
to Christ and Saint Peter, and to all those saints to whom that 
holy minster is consecrated, that his soul be the more welcome 
to God. And whosoever this gift and this endowment shall 
desire to take away from God and Saint Peter, may the king- 
dom of heaven be taken from him, and may he be for ever 
condemned to hell punishment. 

1 A writer of the eighth century, said to be Irish. 

2 Author of Library of the Fathers^ and other works. Ob. 566. 

3 "Written by Smaragdus, Abbat of Saint Michel, in Yerdun, France. Ob. 
circa 823. 

4 Dean of Metz. He published his work on Ecclesiastical Offices a.d. 820. 

5 See page 52. 



141 



No. VI. 

The Document referred to as the Bodleian MS. 1 

[Ex retusto MS. in Bibl. Bodleiana, MS. Bodl. 579. Dug. Monas.~] 

Anno illo quo transacti sunt a nativitate Domini nostri Jesu 
Christi anni dccccv. misit Formosus, Pontifex apostolicus Ro- 
mans ecclesiae, in terram Anglorum ad regem Eaduuardum, 
filium Alfridi, motus cum magna iracundia ac devocione, et 
mandavit ei cum suis omnibus maledictionem contra bene- 
dictionem quam beatus papa Gregorius per sanctum virum 
Augustinum genti Anglorum antea misit, nisi cum episcopis 
instituisset destitutas parochias episcoporum secundum anti- 
quam traditionem quae tradita est genti Anglorum a sede 
Sancti Petri ; nam per septem annos plene destituta est regio 
Jeuuissorum, vel Uuest-Saxonum, ab omni episcopo. Quo 
facto, congregavit Eaduuardus rex synodum senatorum gentis 
Anglorum, in quo presidebat Plegmundus archiepiscopus, regi 
recitans et disputans districta verba apostolicse legationis quam 
misit beatus papa Formosus. Tunc sibi rex cum suis, et Pleg- 
mundus arcbiepiscopus salubre consilium invenerunt, assu- 
mentes sibi dominicam sententiam, Messis quidem multa est, 
operarii vero pauci; singulisque tribubus Jeuuissorum (vel 
Uuest-Saxonum) singulos constituere episcopos, et singulis 
episcopia constituere, et quod dudum duo habuerunt in quin- 
que diviserunt. Acto illo consilio, cum honorificis muneribus 
Plegmundus archiepiscopus Tlomam rediit, apostolicum For- 
mosum cum magna humilitate placavit, regis decreta, et seni- 
orum regionis enuntiavit, quod et apostolico maxime placuit. 
Rediens ad patriam, in urbe Dorobernia vu. episcopos vn. 
ecclesiis in uno die ordinavit : Frythestanum ad ecclesiam 

1 Pages 9, 96. 



142 APPENDIX. 

Uuentaniensem,iEthelstanum ad ecclesiam Corvinensem,Waer- 
stanum ad ecclesiam Sciraburnensem, iEthilhelmum ad eccle- 
siam Fontaniensem, Eadulfum ad ecclesiam Cridionensem, 
Insuper addiderunt illi tres villas in Cornubia, quorum nomina 
Polltun, Caelling, Landuuithan, ut inde singulis annis visitaret 
gentem Cornubiensem ad exprimendos eorum errores : nam 
antea, in quantum potuerant, veritati resistebant, et non de- 
cretis apostolicis obediebant ; sed et aliis provinciis constituit 
duos; Australibus-Saxonibus virum idoneum Beorneh ordi- 
navit, et Mercionibus Coenuulfum ad civitatem quae dicitur 
Dorceceaster : hoc * * * * sic papa apostolicus in synodis 
ecclesiae Sancti Petri conclusit, ut dampnaretur imperpetuum 
qui hoc salubre mutaret consilium. 

Anno vero Dominicae incarnationis mxliij. loco xi. post 
Eduuardum predictum, filium scilicet Alfridi regis, imperium 
totius Anglorum regni suscepit Eduuardus, filius Athelredi 
regis, die domiuico Pascae, id est iij. non. Aprilis, cum magno 
gaudio totius gentis Angliae, in Uuintonia civitate consecratus. 
Tertio autem anno imperii sui, id est anno mxlvj. Dominicae 
incarnationis, dedit episcopatum Cridionensis ecclesiae, atque 
Cornubiensis provincial capellano suo Leofrico, vita moribus- 
que modesto ; qui vir veuerabilis accepto pontificatus honore 
diocesim suam perlustrans, populo sibi commisso, verbum Dei 
studiose predicabat, clericos doctrina informabat, ecclesias non 
paucas eonstruebat, et cetera quae officii sui erant strenue am- 
ministrabat. Cernens vero utramque provinciam diocesis suae, 
id est Devenoniam, et Cornubiam, piratarum barbarica infes- 
tatione saepius devastari, coepit, divina, ut credimus, inspira- 
tion, diligenter meditari qualiter episcopalem cathedram 
Cridionensis loci ad urbem Exonicam transferre posset. Et 
quia sagaci animo prospexit, hoc absque Romanae aecclesiae 
auctoritate fieri non posse; misso iliac idoneo legato, id est, 
Landberto presbytero suo, ad sanctissimum papam Leonem, 
humiliter postulavit, quatinus, directis paternitatis suae Uteris 



APPENDIX. 143 

regem Eduuardum rogaret, ut de Cridionensi villa ad urbem 
Exoniensem episcopalem sedem transmigrare concederet; 
ubi, ab hostilitatis incursu liber, tutius ecclesiastica officia dis- 
ponere posset. Apostolicus verb pontifex libenter ration a- 
bili ejus petitioni annuens, hujusmodi literas regi Eduuardo 
direxit. 

Leo episcopus servus servorum Dei, Eduuardo, Anglorum 
regi salutem karissimam cum benedictione apostolica. Si 
bene babes et bene vales, inde non modicas domino Jesu 
Christo referimus gratias, et hoc optamus ut ita luculenter 
possideas regni gubernacula, ut in aeterna maneas tabernacula. 
Et quia audivimus te circa Dei eccles^ias et ecclesiasticos viros 
studiosum et religiosum esse, inde multum gaudemus, et hoc 
ammonemus atque benigne rogamus, ut ita in Dei opere per- 
severare studeas, quatenus regi regum Deo placere valeas, 
atque cum illc in coelesti regno permaneas. Notum itaque 
est nostras pietati qualiter Leofricus episcopus sine civitate 
sedem pontificalem tenet, unde multum miramur, non de illo 
solo, sed et de omnibus illis episcopis qui talia agunt. Cum 
vero ad vos nostrum miserimus legatum, de aliis dicemus, 
nunc autem de nostro fratre jam dicto Leofrico praecipimus 
atque rogamus, ut propter domini et nostri amoris causam 
adjutorium praebeas, ut a Cridionensi villula ad civitatem 
Exoniam sedem episcopalem possit mutare. Haec et alia bona 
opera ita agere studeas, ut a Christo Domino aeternum regnum 
adquirere valeas. Vale karissime semper in Domino. 

His rex litteris cum magna devotione assensum praebens, 
ilico dedit praedicto episcopo monasterium Sanctae Mariae et 
Sancti Petri apostoli in civitate Exonia, ut ibi episcopale 
solium construeret, et post aliquot menses illuc veniens rex 
ipse gloriosus, per brachium dextrum episcopum ducens, et 
nobilissima regina Edgitha per sinistrum, in cathedram pon- 
tificalem in praefato monasterio constituerunt praesentibus 
ducibus, multisque Angliae proceribus. 



144 APPENDIX. 

Sicque venerabilis vir Leofricus, anno dominicae incarna- 
tionis, ml. indict iij. cum magna gloria enthronizatus, primus 
episcopus factus est Exoniensis ecclesiae, jussuque regis ca- 
nonicos ibi constituit. Et quia locus ille terris, libris, omni- 
busque ornamentis ecclesiasticis pene despoliatus erat (nam 
ex xxvj. terris quas rex religiosus iEthelstanus illuc dedit, 
vix una vilissima remansit, et tres codices, feretrumque reli- 
quarum) praesul ipse de suis propriis multo tempore congre- 
gationem pavit, et cum maximo studio, quantum potuit, 
locum ilium restauravit et emendavit, datisque illuc tribus 
proprietatis suae terris augmentavit. Anno autem dominicae 
incarnationis mlxxj . episcopatus vero sui anno xxvj . die quarto 
idus Februarii, ex hae erumnosa vita sub tr actus, sepultus est 
in cripta ejusdem ecclesiae, pro cujus animae requie, pie lector 
non omittas or are. 

Note. — If we compare the original passage in William of 
Malmesbury, which we subjoin, with the text given above 
(see before, page 9), it will be apparent that the historian 
must have had the Bodleian MS. before him when he wrote 
the passage :— 

" Sed ut ad nostrum Eadwardum revertar, quid ejus tem- 
pore de renovandis Episcopatibus a Papa Formoso praeceptum 
sit, jocundum puto memoratu, itaque verbis eisdem quibus 
inveni scripta interseram. 

"Anno a quo nativitate Domini transacti sunt anni non- 
genti quatuor, misit Papa Formosus in Angliam epistolas quibus 
dabat excommunicationem et maledictionem regi Edwardo et 
omnibus subjectis ejus, pro benedictione quam dederat beajbus 
Gregorius genti Anglorum a sede Sancti Petri. Nam per 
septem annos plenos destituta fuerat episcopis omnis regio 
Geuisorum id est West Saxonum. Quo audito congregavit 
rex Edwardus synodum Senatoris gentis Anglorum, qui praesi- 
debat Pleimundus Archiepiscopus Cantuariensis interpretans 



APPENDIX. 145 

districte verba legationis. Turn rex et Episcopi elegere sibi 
suisq salubre consilium et juxta vocem Dominicam (Messis 
quidem multa, operarii autem pauci) elegerunt et constituerunt 
singulos Episcopos singulis provinciis Geuisorum et quod olim 
duo habuerunt in quinque diviserunt. Acto consilio Archie- 
piscopus Romam cum honorificis muneribus adiit, Papam cum 
magna humilitate placavit, decretum regis recitavit quod 
Apostolico maxime placuit. Rediens ad patriam in urbe Can- 
tuariae uno die septem Episcopos septem ecclesiis ordinavit. 
Fridestanum ad ecclesiam Wintoniensem, Adelstanum ad 
Cornubiensem, Werstanum ad Scireburnensem, Adelelmum 
ad Wellensem, Edulfum ad Cridiensem. Sed et aliis provinciis 
constituit duos Episcopos. Australibus Saxonicis virum ido- 
neum Bernegum et Merciis Chenulfum ad civitatem Dorces- 
trse : hoc autem totum Papa firmavit ut damnaretur in per- 
petuum qui hoc infirmaret decretum." — Gul. de Malm. Gest. 
Reg. Aug. j lib. ii. c. 5. 

It may be some assistance in forming an opinion of the 
credibility of this statement, if we give the following memo- 
randa : — 

Pope Formosus died a.d. 896. Edward's reign began 
a.d. 901. 

The signature of B. Denewulph, Frithestan's predecessor, 
appears for the last time in the Charters in the year 904, and 
FrithestanV for the first time in 908, and mention at the 
same time is made of the recent subdivision of the Winchester 
see into two, in Frithestan's episcopacy. It may be gathered 
from some MSS. of Flor. of Wor. that Wilton was the new see. 

The signature of Asser, Bishop of Sherborne, appears in the 
Charters for the last time in 904. His death is assigned to 
different dates: by Sax. Chron., to 910; Ann. Camb., 908; 
Brut y Tyw. 3 906. 

According to Florence, the first four bishops of Wells were 
iEthelm, Wulfhelm (both of whom, he informs us, succeeded 

L 



146 APPENDIX. 

to the archiepiscopate of Canterbury), Alpheagus,Wulfhelmus. 
Now Plegmund's signature, as archbishop, will be found down 
to 909, and a charter of Wulfhelm, as archbishop, bears date 
9.23; consequently, in the interval since the death of Denewulph 
or Asser, not only must the see of Wells have been created, 
but its first bishop must have been translated to Canterbury, 
and died. The earliest signature of a bishop of Wells eo nomine 
is Wulfhelnr's in 935, the fourth bishop in Florence's list. 

The signature of a Bishop Eadulph first appears in the 
Charters in 926 ; but the first notice of the see is iEthelstan's 
grant in 933. 

Although the vacancy of the sees for seven years, and the 
consequent interposition of Pope Formosus, are contradicted 
by the above evidences, the creation of the Wilton, Wells, 
and Crediton sees, about the time asserted, is fully established 
by them. 



Translation of the Bodleian MS. 

In the year when 905 years had been completed from the 
nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, Formosus, the Apostolic 
Poutiff of the Church of Rome, sent to England, unto King 
Edward, the son of Alfred, moved with great wrath, as well as 
piety, and denounced on him and all his subjects malediction, 
instead of the benediction which the blessed Pope Gregory, 
by the holy man Augustine, formerly sent to the English, 
unless with his bishops he instituted the dioceses which were 
destitute of bishops, in accordance with the ancient tradition 
which had been transmitted to the English from the seat 
of Saint Peter; for during seven years the district of the 
Jeuuissi, or West Saxons, had been wholly destitute of every 
bishop. Upon this, King Edward assembled a synod of the 
English senators, which was presided over by Archbishop 
Plegmund, who recited to the King, and commented strictly 



APPENDIX. 147 

on the words of the apostolic message which the blessed Pope 
Formosus had sent. Then did the King, with his people and 
the Archbishop Plegmund, light upon wholesome counsel for 
themselves, taking to themselves the saying of our Lord, 
" The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the labourers are few ;" 
and to the several provinces of the Jeuuissi (or West Saxons) 
they appointed as many bishops ; and to each they appointed 
a bishoprick, and that which lately two only had, they divided 
into five. Having taken this measure, Plegmund, the arch- 
bishop, returned to Rome with handsome gifts; appeased 
the apostolic Formosus with much humility; made known 
the decrees of the King and of the elders of the country, 
which to the apostolic personage was especially pleasing. 
Returning to his country, in the city of Canterbury, seven 
bishops to seven churches he ordained in one day — Frythestan, 
to the church of Winchester ; iEthelstan, to the Corvinensian 
church; Wcerstan, to the church of Sherborne; iEthilhelm, 
to the church of Wells ; Eadulph, to the church of Crediton : 
moreover they added to him three vills in Cornwall, the 
names of which are — Polltun, Cselling, Landuuithan — that 
he might from thence visit every year the Cornish race, to 
extirpate their errors ; for before then, as far as they could, 
they had resisted the truth, and had not obeyed the apostolic 
decrees. 1 But he likewise appointed to other provinces two 
[bishops]. To the South Saxons he ordained Beorneh, a fit 
person; and to the Mercians, Ccenuulf, at the city which is 
called Dorchester. This * * * * so did the apostolic Pope, in 
the synods of the church of Saint Peter, make conclusive, 
that he should be for ever damned who should violate this 
salutary ordinance. 

But in the year of our Lord's incarnation 1043, and in the 
eleventh place after the aforesaid Edward, the son, to wit, 
of King Alfred, Edward, the son of King Athelred, succeeded 

1 Page 100, note. 



148 APPENDIX. 

to the government of the entire kingdom of England, on 
Easter Day, on the third of the nones of April, to the great 
joy of the whole English people, and was consecrated at the 
city of Winchester. But in the third year of his reign, that 
is, in the year 1046 of the Lord's incarnation, he conferred 
the episcopacy of the church of Crediton, and of the province 
of Cornwall, upon his chaplain Leofrick, a person of modest 
life and manners ; and this revered man, having received the 
honour of the pontificate, going about his diocese, diligently 
preached the word of God to the people committed to him, 
instructed his clergy in doctrine, constructed not a few 
churches, and administered vigorously the other duties of 
his office. Seeing, however, that each province of his diocese, 
that is, Devon and Cornwall, had been frequently devastated 
by the barbarous attacks of pirates, he began (under divine 
inspiration, as we think) to consider by what means the epis- 
copal chair of the Crediton see could be transferred to the 
city of Exeter. And forasmuch as it was clear to his saga- 
cious mind that this could not be accomplished without the 
authority of the church of Rome, having sent thither a fit 
messenger, namely, Landbert, his priest, he humbly besought 
the most holy Pope Leo, that, by his paternal letters direct, he 
would request of King Edward that he would concede the 
removal of the episcopal seat from the vill of Crediton to the 
city of Exeter; where, secure from hostile attack, he might 
be able to execute his ecclesiastical duties in greater safety. 
In sooth the apostolic Pontiff, willingly assenting to his rea- 
sonable petition, addressed a letter, in these words, to King 
Edward : — 

" Leo, bishop, the servant of the servants of God, to Edward, 
King of the English, most affectionate salutation, with the 
apostolic blessing ! If you and yours are well, on that account 
no little thanks do we offer to the Lord Christ ; and this do we 
desire, that you may so brightly preside over the government 



APPENDIX. 149 

of your kingdom, that you may rest in the eternal tabernacles. 1 
And forasmuch as we have heard that you are earnestly and 
religiously disposed towards the churches of God and the 
clergy, on this account we much rejoice; and this we do 
advise and kindly request, that you may so study to persevere 
in God's work, as to be able to please the King of kings, 
and that with him, in the heavenly kingdom, you may abide. 
It has been made known to our piety how Leofrick the 
bishop holds his pontifical seat without a city, at which we 
are much surprised : not on account of him only, but of all 
those bishops who so act. When indeed we shall have sent to 
you our legate, we will speak of the others ; but now concern- 
ing our brother Leofrick, already mentioned, we command and 
entreat, that for the Lord's sake, and the sake of our love, 
you give your assistance, to enable him to transfer his epis- 
copal seat from the vill of Crediton to the city of Exeter. 
These, and other good works, may you so study to perform, 
that you may be able to obtain from Christ the Lord the 
eternal kingdom. Farewell, most affectionately, ever in the 
Lord!" 

To this letter the King, with much devotion yielding assent, 
forthwith bestowed on the aforesaid bishop the monastery of 
Saint Mary and Saint Peter the Apostle, in the city of Exeter, 
that he might there establish an episcopal throne ; and after 
some months, the glorious King coming there, conducting the 
bishop by his right arm, and the most noble Queen Edgith 
by his left, they placed him in the pontifical chair in the afore- 
said monastery, in presence of the dukes and many English 
nobles. 

Thus was the revered man Leofrick, in the year of our 
Lord's incarnation 1050, and the third indiction, enthroned 

1 It would not be easy to transfer into English the alliteration between 
" gubernacula " and " tabernacula " in the original, which seems to have been 
designed. 



150 APPENDIX. 

with great pomp, and made the first bishop of Exeter; and 
there, by the King's command, he established canons. And 
because that place had been almost despoiled of its lands, 
books, and ecclesiastical furniture (for out of twenty-six 
estates which the religious King iEthelstan had there con- 
ferred, scarcely one of worthless value remained, and three 
books, and a case of relics), the prelate himself, out of his own 
means, for a long time supported the brotherhood ; and after 
the greatest efforts, so far as he could, he restored and im- 
proved the monastery, and augmented it by the gift of three 
estates of his own property; but in the year of the Lord's 
incarnation 1071, and the twenty-sixth of his episcopacy, on 
the fourth of the ides of February, he was withdrawn from 
this troublesome life, and was buried in the crypt of the same 
church; — for whose soul's rest, pious reader, omit not to 
pray. 



151 



No. VII. 



Table of the Eorls or Dukes of Devonshire, before the Conquest, 
so far as they are known, from ancient authorities. 



DATE. 


NAME. 


AUTHOEITY. 


A.D. 851 


Ceorl .... 


Sax. Chron. Ethelwerd's Chron. Asserius. 
Flor. Wig. Chron. 


878 


Odda . ; . . 


Ethel w. Chron. 


901 


iEthered . . . 


Sax. Chron. Henr. Hunt. Ilist. 


964 


Ordgar .... 


Sax. Chron. Flor. Wig. Chron. Chart. No. 520, 
Cod. Dip. a.d. 966. 


997 


JEthelweard 1 . . 


Chart. No. 698, Cod. Dip. 


1013 


./Etkelmai* . . . 


Elor. Wig. Chron. Sax. Chron. 


1048 


Grodwine . . . 


Elor. Wig. Chron. A. 1051. He was Eorl of 
Kent, South Saxonv, and West Saxony. 
Sax. Chron. A. 1048! 


1051-2 


Odda, Odo, or 
Agelwine 


Sax. Chron. Henr. Hunt. Hist. Elor. Wig. 
Chron. He was Eorl of Devon, Somerset, 
and Dorset, and over the Welsh (qncere, 
Cornu-Welsh?). 


1052 


Gl-odwine 

(restored) . . 


Sax. Chron. He appears to have been rein- 
stated in the same eorldora he had before. 


1053 


Harold, son of 
Godwine . . 


Sax. Chron. Flor. Wig. Chron. He succeeded 
to his father's eorldom, and afterwards to 
the crown of England. 



1 See page 38. 

Note. — We have not inserted in the above list Goda, a.d. 988, and Hugh the 
Norman, A.D .1003 ; for, although they are styled Eorls of Devon by some au- 
thorities, it seems clear from others, that Groda was "a Thane" only, and Hugh 
the Sheriff of Devon. We entertain some doubt whether JEihelbert may not 
be entitled to a place in this list. We find in a royal charter dated 1019, 
No. 729, Cod. Dip., the following passage : — "JEthelbertus dux reuelauit mihi 
quod mei pi'epositi in Defonia provincia imponebant jugum servitutis prsediis 
sanctse ecclesise qua? est in Exencestria," &c. It seems to us it could only be the 
Devonshire eorl who would have thus reported to the Eing the misconduct of 
the Devonshire reeves. In Eoger de Hoveden's Annals we find it stated, under 
date of a.d. 1018, "Brithric, son of Elphege, Eorl of Devonshire, was slain." 
But this title is not supported by other authorities. 



152 



No. VIII. 

Charter of King Henry III., confirming the Manor of Newton 
to the Canons of Bodmin, formerly granted by King 
Eadred} 

[Cart. 57 H. III. m. 9. Vide Pat. 3 H. VI. p. 1. m. 11.— Oliver's Monas. Exon.~\ 

Rex archiepiscopis, etc. salutem. Quia accepimus per cartam 
Eadredi, quondam regis Anglie, quam inspeximus, quod idem rex 
concessit et confirmavit pro se et successoribus suis in perpe- 
tuum dilectis nobis in Christo priori et canonicis de Bodmine 
manerium de Niwetone cum pertinentiis in comitatu Devonie, 
quietum ab omni servitio secularr, exceptis Deo orationibus ; et 
per inquisitionem quam fieri fecimus, similiter accepimus quod 
iidem prior et canonici et eorum homines in dicto manerio 
quieti sint de sectis comitatus Devonie et hundredi nostri de 
Sbef biri et turnorum vicecomitum per eandem cartam ; nos 
predictam quietantiam cum omnibus aliis libertatibus in carta 
ilia contentis ratam habentes et gratam, earn pro nobis et here- 
dibus nostris concedimus et confirmamus sicut carta ejusdem 
regis Eadredi, quam inde habent, rationabiliter testatur. His 
testibus ; Guidone Luzigan, et Willielmo de Valencia, fratri- 
bus nostris ; Petro de Sabaudia, Jobanne MaunseL, preposito 
Beverlaci, Radulfo filio Nicholai, Bertramo de Cryol, Petro 
Chaceporc, Magistro Willielmo de Kilkenni, archidiacono 
Coventrie, Nicholao de Sancto Mauro, Johanne de Geres, 
et aliis. Datum per manum nostram apud Westmonasterium 
quinto decimo die Martii. 

1 Page 66. 



153 



Translation of the foregoing. 

The King to the Archbishops, &c., greeting. Inasmuch as 
we have learnt from the charter of Eadred, formerly King of 
England, which we have inspected, that the same king granted 
and confirmed, for himself and his successors for ever, to our 
beloved in Christ, the Prior and Canons of Bodmine, the 
manor of Niwetone, with the appurtenances, in the county of 
Devon, acquitted from every secular service, except prayers to 
God; and from the inquiry we have caused to be made, we 
have, in like manner, learnt that the same prior and canons, 
and their men, in the said manor should be quit of suit of the 
county of Devon; and of our hundred of Shef bir (Shebbear), 
and of the sheriff's torns, by the same charter : we, the afore- 
said quittance, with all other liberties in that charter con- 
tained, holding established and approved, the same, for us and 
our heirs, do grant and confirm, as the charter of the same 
King Eadred, which they therefore hold, reasonably testifies. 
These being witnesses : — Guy Luzigan and William de Va- 
lence our brothers, Peter de Savoy, John Maunsel, Mayor of 
Beverley, Ralph the son of Nicholas, Bertram de Cryol, Peter 
Chaceporc, Master William de Kilkenni, Archdeacon of Co- 
ventrie, Nicholas de Seymour, John de Geres, and others. 
Given by our hand at Westminster, the 15th day of March. 



154 APPENDTX. 



No. IX, 

Exemplification of the Inquisition, taken 32 Edw. III? 

[Oliv. Mon.j Dugd. Mon.; Pat. Eot. 7 Kic.IL] 

Eex dilectis sibi in Christo, priori et canonicis, ecclesie 
Sancti Germani, in Cornubia, salutem. Compertum fuit nuper 
per quandam inquisitionem coram Johanne Skyrbek, escaetore 
Domini Edwardi, nuper regis Anglie, avi nostril anno regni 
sui tricesimo secundo, de mandato ejusdem avi nostri captam, 
et in cancellariam suam retornatam, quod quidam Hex Anglie, 
nomine Knout, dedit Deo, et ecclesie Sancti Germani, et ibidem 
Deo servientibus, terras et tenementa, in brevi ipsius avi nostri 
contenta, et tunc fait ibidem sedes episcopalis Comubie, et epis- 
copus nomine Brithwaldus ac canonici seculares ; demum, reg- 
nante Knout rege predict o, quidam Lyvyngus, episcopus Crydi- 
ton } obtinuit episcopatum Comubie, post mortem predicti 
Brithwoldi, qui ultimus fuit Comubie episcopus, uniri cum 
episcopatu Cryditon. Cui Lyvyngo successit Leofricus, qui 
obtinuit illos duos episcopatus, sic unitos, usque tempus beati 
Edwardi Regis, et Confessoris. Qui quidem Edwardus, de pre- 
cepto et assensu Pape Leonis, transtulit sedem Cryditon in 
civitaiem Exonie, et postea idem Leofricus, Episcopus, fundavit 
apud Sanctum Germanum, prior atum canonicorum regularium, 
canonicis secidaribus ammotis. Et quod sic est dictus prio- 
ratus. de fundacione, et patronatu episcopi Exonie continuatus 
usque ad diem inquisitionis pr edict e ; et episcopus Exonie, 
qui pro tempore fuerit, habeat vacaciones prioratus predicti, 
cum contigerint, et habuit a tempore cujus contrarii memoria 
non existit. Ac prefatus avus noster, octavo die Octobris, 

1 Page 76. 



APPENDIX. 155 

dicto anno regni sui tricesimo secundo, tenorem inquisitionis 
predicte, per literas suas patentes exemplificari fecit, et 
nos quinto decimo die Octobris ultimo, jam preterito, dictas 
literas patentes ipsius avi nostri, ad requisicionem venerabilis 
patris Thome de Brantyngham, episcopi Exonie, per literas 
nostras patentes, duximus exemplificandas, et hoc sub tenore 
presencium significamus, ut super hiis que jus ipsius episcopi 
concernunt, in hac parte melius et evidentius possitis informari, 
ad effectum quod idem episcopus, in premissis per vos nulla- 
tenus injurietur. Teste rege apud Westmonasterium, decimo 
die Novembris anno regni nostri septimo. 

Note. — The inquisition referred to will be found in Dugd. Monast., nearly in 
the same words as it is set out in the above exemplification, except that after 
the words "in brevi contenta" is inserted "scil. tria messuagia et duas acras 
terrse et dimidiam cum pertinentiis in Laurake in com. Cornubise." The inqui- 
sition is distinguished by italics. 



Translation of the foregoing. 

The King, to his beloved in Christ the Prior and Canons 
of the church of Saint Germans, in Cornwall, health. It 
was lately found by a certain inquisition, taken before John 
Skyrbek, escheator of the Lord Edward, late King of England, 
our ancestor, in the thirty-second year of his reign, by com- 
mand of our same ancestor, and in his chancery returned : 
Inquisition ^ a ^ a certain King of England, Knout by name, 
recited. g ave to q ^ an ^ ^ e c ^ rc ^ f Saint Germans, and 

to those there serving God, lands and tenements, in the writ of 
our same ancestor contained; and then the episcopal see of 
Cornwall was at that place, and a bishop, by name Brithwald, 
and secular canons. At length, in the reign of the aforesaid 
King Knout, one Lyvyngus, bishop of Cryditon, obtained the 
bishoprick of Cornwall, after the death of the aforesaid Brith- 
wold, who was the last Bishop of Cornwall, to be united with 
the bishoprick of Cryditon. To which Lyvingus succeeded 



156 APPENDIX, 

Leofrick, who obtained both of those bishopricks so united, until 
the time of the blessed Edward, King and Confessor; which 
Edward, by the direction and with the assent of Pope Leo, 
transferred the see of Cryditon to the city of Exeter; and 
afterwards, the same Bishop Leofrick founded at St. Germans 
a priory of regular canons, the secular canons being removed. 
And that so the aforesaid priory, on the foundation and in the 
patronage of the Bishop of Exeter, has continued unto the day 
of the aforesaid inquisition ; and the Bishop of Exeter for the 
time being has the vacations of the aforesaid priory, when 
they happen, and has had them from the time whereof memory 
exists not to the contrary. And our ancestor aforesaid, on the 
eighth day of October, in the said thirty-second year of his 
reign, caused the tenor of the inquisition aforesaid, by his 
letters patent, to be exemplified ; and we, on the fifteenth day 
of October now last past, the said letters patent of our same 
ancestor, at the request of the venerable father, Thomas de 
Brantyngham, Bishop of Exeter, by our letters patent have 
occasioned to be exemplified, and this, under the tenor of these 
presents, we signify : that touching those things which con- 
cern the right of the same bishop, in this respect you may be 
the better and more plainly informed, to the effect that the 
same bishop, in the premises, by you may be in no wise in- 
jured. Witness the King at Westminster, the tenth day of 
November, in the seventh year of our reign. 



APPENDIX. 



157 



No. X. 

Placita de quo waranto comitatu Cornubice^ 30 Edw. I. 
(Printed edition, page 1 10.) 

[Oliver's Mon. Exon."] 

Prior de Bodmyn summonitus fuit ad respondendum do- 
mino regi de placito quo waranto clamat habere furcas pillorium 
sok et sak tol et tern visum franci plegii emendam assise panis 
et cervisie fracte mercatum et feriam in Bodmyn et weyf per 
totum hundredum de Pudrechire et emendas assise panis et 
cervisie fracte et placitum vetiti namii in Aldestowe, et eciam 
liberam piscariam per totam aquam de Aleyn et Eyle, etc. 

Et prior venit ct dicit quod ipse et omnes predecessores sui, 
a tempore quo non extat memoria, habuerunt predictas liber- 
tates et eis usi fuerunt hucusque absque aliqua interupcione, 
&c. Et de hoc ponit se super patriam et Johannes de Mutford 
*** [hiatus] . 

Juratores dicunt super sacramentum suum quod predictus 
prior et omnes predecessores sui a tempore quo non extat me- 
moria habuerunt predictas libertates et eis hucusque usi sunt 
sine interupcione, etc. Ideo predictus prior inde sine die, etc. 
Salvo, etc. 

Et Johannes de Mutford qui sequitur pro rege dicit quod 
istum placitum est quoddam annexum corone domini regis et 
originem capit infra memoriam et non tempore quo extat 
memoria, etc. Et dicit quod predictus prior non habet retor- 
num brevium domini regis. Et petit judicium. 

Ibid., 9 Edw. L, incipiente decimo. (Page 165.) 
Prior de Bodmyne summonitus fuit ad respondendum do- 

1 Page 62. 



158 APPENDIX. 

mino regi de placito quod faciat sectam ad hundredum domini 
regis de Schacbere quam ad illud facere debet, etc. 

Et prior yenit et dicit quod dominus Henricus rex pater 
domini regis nunc concessit quod ipse et omnes antecessores 
sui quieti sint de sectis shirarum et hundredorum et profert 
cartam predicti domini regis que hoc testatur. Ideo predictus 
prior quoad hoc sine die, etc. — Rot. 34 d. 

Ibid.— Page 166. 

Prior de Bodmine summonitus fait ad respondendum do- 
mino regi de placito quo waranto clam at habere visum franci 
plegii furcas emendas assise panis et cervisie fracte in Nywen- 
ton sine licencia, etc. 

Et prior per attornatum suum venit et dicit quod ipse et 
omnes predecessores sui, priores de Bodmine, a tempore a quo 
non extat memoria usi sunt predictis libertatibus ut de jure 
ecclesie sue Sancti Petroci. 

Et ATillielmus de Giselham qui sequitur, etc., dicit quod 
predicta villa de Nywenton ubi predictus prior habet predictas 
libertates est infra hundredum domini regis de Senebyr 
[Shebbear] ubi nulli liceat hujusmodi libertates obtinere sine 
speciali waranto de domino rege, nee idem prior aliquod inde 
extendit warantum de domino rege, petit judicium. Dies 
datus est ei a die Pasche in unum mensem coram domino 
rege ubicumque, etc. de audiendo judicio suo, etc. — Rot. 35. 



Translation of the foregoing. 

Pleas of " Quo Waranto/' in the County of Cormvall, 
30 Echo. I. 

The Prior of Bodmyn was summoned to answer the Lord 
the King of a plea, by what authority he claims to have gal- 
lows, pillory, sok and sak, tol and tern, view of frankpledge, 



APPENDIX. 159 

correction of breach of assize of bread and beer, market and 
fair, in Bodmyn ; and weyf, throughout the whole hundred of 
Pydreshire ; and correction of breach of assize of bread and 
beer, and plea of withernam, in Aldestowe ; and also free 
fishery throughout the whole water of Aleyn and Eyle, &c. 

And the prior comes and says that he himself, and all his 
predecessors, from time beyond memory, have had the afore- 
said liberties, and have exercised them until now, without any 
interruption, &c. And of this he puts himself on the country, 
and John of Mutford * * * [wanting] . 

The jurors, upon their oath, say that the aforesaid prior, and 
all his predecessors, from time beyond memory, have had the 
aforesaid liberties, and have exercised them until now without 
interruption, &c. Therefore the said prior thence without a 
day, &c, save, &c. 

And John of Mutford, who sues for the King, says that 
that plea is matter belonging to the crown of the Lord the 
King, and takes its origin within memory, and not from time 
beyond memory, &c, and he says that the aforesaid prior has 
not the return of writs of the Lord the King. And he asks 
judgment. 



The same, 9 Edw. I., and beginning of 10. 

The Prior of Bodmyne was summoned to answer the Lord 
the King of a plea, that he do suit to the hundred of the Lord 
the King of Shacbere, which he ought to do to it, &c. 

And the prior comes and says, that the Lord King Henry, 
father of the Lord the now King, granted that himself and all 
his predecessors should be quit of suits of shires and hundreds, 
and he produces the charter of the aforesaid Lord the King, 
which testifies this. Therefore the aforesaid prior, as to this, 
without a day, &c. 



160 APPENDIX. 



The same. 

The Prior of Bodmine was summoned to answer the Lord 
the King of a plea, by what authority he claims to have view 
of frankpledge, gallows, correction of breach of assize of bread 
and beer, in Nywenton, without license, &c. 

And the prior, by his attorney, comes and says, that him- 
self and all his predecessors, priors of Bodmine, from time 
beyond memory, have exercised the aforesaid liberties, as of 
the right of their church of Saint Petrock. 

And William of Giselham, who sues, &c, says that the 
aforesaid vill of Nywenton, where the aforesaid prior has the 
aforesaid liberties, is within the hundred of the Lord the 
King, of Senebyr [Shebbear], where it is lawful for none 
to obtain liberties of this kind without the special authority 
of the Lord the King, nor does the same prior offer any 
authority of the Lord the King for the same. He asks judg- 
ment. A day is given to him, from Easter-day, in one month, 
before the Lord the King, wheresoever, &c, to hear his 
judgment, &c. 



161 



No. XI. 
King jEthelstan's Charter enfranchising the See of Credit on) 

a.d. 933. 

[No. 362 Cod. Dip. MS. Cott. Aug. n. 31.] 

>J< Flebilia fortit detestanda totillantis scli piacula diris 

obscene horrende que mortalitatis circumsepta latratibus non 

nos patria indepte pacis secures sed quasi fetide corruptele in 

uoraginem casuros prouocando ammonent ut ea toto mentis 

conamine cum casibus suis non solum despiciendo sed etiam 

uelut fastidiosam melancolie nausiam abominando fugiamus 

tendentes ad illud euangelicum date et dabitur uobis. Qua de 

re infima quasi peripsema quisquiliarum abiciens superna ad 

instar pretiosorum monilium eliens animum sempiternis in 

gaudiis fiens ad nanciscendam melliflue dulcedinis misericor- 

diam perfruendamq: infinite letitiae iocunditatem ego yG)?elsta- 

nus per omnipatrantis dextam apice totius albionis sublimatus 

circumquaq : basilicas in honore dei scorumq : eius dedicatas 

prout potero ab antiquo ritu uectigalium redimam quod sibi 

mei antecessores usurpatiue decreuerunt habere, nunc uero pro 

dei omnipotentis amore et beate di genetricis marie uenera- 

tione scorumq : omium auctoritate necnon pro uenerabilis epi 

eadulfi placabilis pecunie datione id *? .lx. librarum argenti 

tantam libertate episcopatui cridiensis ecclesie perdonare diiu- 

dicaui, nt sit perpetualiter tutus atq : munitus ab omnibus 

secularib : seruitutib : fiscis regalib : tributis maiorib : et mi- 

norib : atq : expeditionalib : uidelicet taxationib : omniumq : 

rerum nisi sola expeditione et arcis munitione. Siquis autem 

post hoc subdola cauillatione deceptus nostrum non perhorres- 

cat machinari decretum sciat se nouissima ac magna examina- 

1 Pages 79, 101. 

M 



162 APPENDIX. 

tionis die classica archangeli clangente salpice bustis sponte 
patentib : somata iam rediuiua propellentib : cum iuda prodi- 
tore infaustoq: pecuniarum compilatore suisq: impiissimis 
fantorib : sub eeterne maledictionis anathemate edacib : innu- 
merabilium tormentorum flammis sine defectu periturum. 
Acta est haec pfate libertatis munificentia .dccccxxxiii. domi- 
nice incarnationis anno. Indictione .vi. his testib : consentien- 
tib : signumq : crucis xpi adponentib : quorum nomina infra 
caraxata esse monstrant. 

>J< Ego x/B]?elstanus gratia di largiente totius brittannie rex 
pfatam libertatem cum sigillo see crucis confirmaui. 

>J< Ego Wulfhelm dorobornensis ecclesie archieps eiusdem 
regis largitatem cum tropbeo see crucis consignaui. 

^ Ego iElfeah wintaniensis eclesie eps triumphalem agie 
crucis tropheum impressi. 

►J< Ego J?eodred lundoniensis eclesie eps consignaui. 

►J< Ego Coenwald eps consensi, 

>J< Ego Oda eps confirmaui. 

*fc Ego Wulfhun eps roboraui. 

>J< Ego iElf here dux. 

>J< Ego Wulfgar dux. 

>J< Ego Uhtryd dux. 

>J< Ego Odda minist. 

>J< Ego Eadmund minister. 

>J< Ego Wulfsige minister. 

>J< Ego Wulmser minister. 

>J< Ego iElfsige minister. 

>J< Ego iEdrie minister. 

>J« Ego Ealhelm minister. 



APPENDIX. 163 



Translation of King JEthelstan's Charter , enfranchising the 
See of Credit on. 

a.d. 933. 

»J< The lamentable, strongly to be detested offences of a 
decaying age, hedged around, as they are, by the 
dire barkings of a filthy and horrid mortality, ur- 
gently admonish us, who are not safe in a country of assured 
peace, but as it were about to fall into a vortex of fetid corrup- 
tion, that we should fly from them, with all their dangers, with 
the whole effort of our minds, not merely despising, but even 
abominating them, as we would a loathing nausea of black 
bile, directing ourselves to that gospel saying, " Give and it 
shall be' given unto you." For which reason, cast- 
ing away the lowest things as the offscouring of 
refuse; choosing the highest as if precious jewels; and 
fixing the mind on everlasting joys; in order to obtain the 
mercy of mellifluous sweetness and to enjoy the pleasure of 
infinite bliss : I, iEthelstan, raised by the right hand of the 
Almighty to the top of all Albion, will, every where, so far as 
I shall be able, redeem the churches dedicated in honour of 
God, and of his saints, from the ancient usage of taxes, which 
my ancestors have customarily resolved on having for them- 
selves. Now, truly, for the honour of Almighty God, and in 
reverence of the blessed Mary the mother of the Lord, for the 
authority of all the saints, as well as for the gift of money 
agreed to be taken from the venerable Bishop Eadulf, that is, 
sixty pounds of silver, I have decreed to confer freedom upon 
the episcopate of the church of Crediton, so that it may be 
perpetually secure and protected against all secular services, 
royal revenues, greater and lesser contributions, and war taxes, 
to wit, and every thing, save only military service and fortress 



164 APPENDIX. 

reparation. But if any one after this, deceived by 
1 " crafty sophistry, should shrink not from plotting 
against our ordinance, let him know that at the last and great 
day of judgment, when the trumpet blast of the archangel 
shall sound, and the graves, opening of their own accord, shall 
cast forth their bodies already restored to life, with Judas the 
betrayer and miserable purloiner of money, and with his most 
impious abettors, under the anathema of an eternal curse, he 
shall perish, without fail, in the devouring flames of countless 

torments, This munificent act of freedom afore- 

The date 

said was done in the year of the Lord's incarnation 
933, of the indiction 6, these witnesses consenting, 

The teste 

and the sign of the cross of Christ affixing, whose 
names are shown to be charactered below : — 

>J< I, iEthelstan, by the bounty of the Lord's grace, King 
of all Britain, the aforesaid freedom with the mark of the holy 
cross have confirmed. >J< I, Wulfhelm, of the church of 
Canterbury, archbishop, the bounty of the same King with the 
trophy of the holy cross have signed. >J< I, iElfeah, of the 
church of Winchester, bishop, the triumphant trophy of the 
sacred cross have impressed. ►£< I, Theodred, of the church 
of London, bishop, have signed. x%< I, Coenwald, bishop, 
have consented. >J< I, Oda, bishop, have confirmed. >J< I, 
Wulfhelm, bishop, have corroborated. >|< I, iElfhere, duke. 
q* I, Wulfgar, duke. ^ I, Uhtryd, duke. >J< I, Odda, 
minister. *fc I, Eadmund, minister. ^ I, Wulfsige, minister. 
>J< I, Wulmser, minister. i%* I, iElfsige, minister. >J< I, 
Eadrick, minister. >J< I, Ealhelm, minister. 1 

1 The pompous phrase and far-fetched expressions derived from the Byzantine 
school, which are conspicuous in the formulae of the preceding charters, cannot 
be easily imitated in an English translation ; nor are they worth the attempt 
being made. To the bad taste of that age this sort of language no doubt com- 
mended itself. The practice of introducing clauses of imprecation into legal in- 
struments was borrowed from the Continent, and can be traced back to an early • 
period of Church history. 



165 



No. XII. 

We have mentioned, in a note, at page 37, that there is 
preserved at Exeter, a grant from King Eadward to Duke 
iEthelweard ; and at page 68, we have referred to a grant of 
the manor of Newton in Devon to Saint Petrock, by King 
iEthelstan, also preserved among the Exeter archives. We 
now propose to give some account of these documents, pre- 
mising, however, that it is not our intention to enter at any 
length into their contents, which would lead us to a con- 
sideration of many subjects wholly beyond the purpose of 
this work. We shall, therefore, advert to them so far only 
as they may be thought to bear on the inquiry which we have 
undertaken. 1 

The Grant to Duke JEthelweard. 

This charter bears the date of a.d. 977, and of the second 
year of the reign of King Eadward, usually styled the Martyr, 
who, we may remember, was the stepson and supposed victim 
of the Devonshire lady, iElfrytha. It professes to contain a 
grant of lands to Duke iEthelweard, who is designated by 
the accustomed title of the king's faithful eorl, u meo fideli 
comiti nomine JEthelweard" The lands are granted in per- 
petuity, and are described as " certain portions of land in 
divers places situate, that is, Trefwurabo and Trefualoc, 
Trefgrued and Trefdewig" [quasdam ruris particulas in 
diversis locis possitis, id est tnejipujiabo set fcpepialoc 
tnepgrued 2nt fcjiepbepig] . The instrument itself is written 
on the back of another charter, which contains a grant of the 
same lands, and by the same description, from King Eadward 

1 We are indebted to the courtesy of Ralph Barnes, Esq., the Bishop's Secre- 
tary, &c. &c, for facsimile copies of these charters. 



166 APPENDIX. 

the Confessor to his faithful Bishop Aldred [cuidam fideli 
meo epo nomine Aldredo]. The date of this charter is 
a.d. mlviiii., being nine years after the creation of the 
Exeter see ; and among the witnesses will be found the sig- 
nature of Leofrick, described as Bishop of Exeter, [Ego 
Leofricus epc Exoniensis eccle confirmaui et subscp] . Aldred, 
in whose favour this grant is made, we may presume to have 
been the Abbat of Tavistock, who is stated in the Chronicles 
(see p. 47) to have succeeded Lyving in the see of "Worcester 
in 1046: and the connection of Aldred's predecessor with 
Cornwall or his own with Tavistock may afford some expla- 
nation of this Cornish endowment of the Worcester prelate. 
Bishop Aldred was a person distinguished in history, and was 
raised to the archiepiscopate of York on Christmas Day in the 
year succeeding the date of this grant. The charter of 977, 
which more immediately demands our notice, being indorsed 
on the other, is necessarily a transcript only. Among the 
witnesses to it is a Bishop Wulfsige, who may possibly have 
been the Cornish bishop. We cannot gather from this charter 
whether iEthelweard was Duke of Cornwall or Devon, or both. 
The lands are however in Cornwall, and tref will be recognised 
as synonymous with tre (a dwelling-place), the familiar prefix 
to Cornish names of places, and perhaps its older form. In the 
Welsh tongue it still survives. The charter is consequently 
adequate for the purpose for which we adduce it, namely, as 
an additional testimony of the Duke iEthelweard named in 
the St. Petrock Manumissions. For while, on the one hand, 
this royal grant connects the duke with the favour and pa- 
tronage of the king— and thus, with great probability, iden- 
tifies him with the personage of that name, who, seventeen 
years later, was employed, as we have seen, in the confidential 
service of the sovereign — so, on the other hand, the owner- 
ship of Cornish property identifies the same personage with 
the duke whose manumission of a serf is recorded at Saint 



APPENDIX. 167 

Petrock in Cornwall. Indeed the Charter and the Saint 
Petrock MS. mutually corroborate each other; for we cannot 
suppose that two parties having no concert should invent the 
same falsehood, by referring to a Duke iEthelweard connected 
with Cornwall, if no such personage had existed. The incon- 
sistency of King Eadward's granting, in 1059, lands which 
had been already disposed of by his predecessor eighty-two 
years before, may perhaps be accounted for by the outlawry 
of the duke (see page 39), which would have involved a for- 
feiture of his estates to the crown. 



The Grant of the Manor of Newton in Devon to St. Petrock's 
Monastery, by King Mthelstan. 

This charter, which purports to be King iEthelstan's, 
bears the inconsistent date of a.d. dclxx., and 11th of the 
indiction, and by it the King grants " one hide, at the place 
where by the inhabitants it is called Nywantune — to God and 
to the holy confessor Petrocus, at the monastery of the same 
saint, to hold so long as the Catholic faith shall continue with 
the English nation" [unu cassatum in loco ubi ab incolis uoci- 
tatur set nypantune do et sco conjzessori Pefcpoco ab monas- 
tepium eiusdem sci ut habeat quamdiu pides Catholica in 
gente Anglorum pepmaneat]. There will be found in the 
Cod. Dip. a charter (No. 370) containing a grant of Top- 
paesham to Saint Mary's monastery at Exeter, which in point 
of language and signatures, and even in the false date, com- 
prises the ipsissima verba of this document. The anachronism 
of the date exposes it to grave suspicion, but if we were at 
liberty to attribute the error to the copyist, the true date is 
easily determined. Among the signatures are those of Arch- 
bishop Wulfhelm and Bishop iEthelgar. The latter, as we 
have seen, was appointed to the see of Crediton, on the death 
of Eadulph, 933 : and it may be gathered from the charters, 



168 APPENDIX. 

that Oda succeeded Wulfhelm at Canterbury, a.d. 941. The 
charter under our consideration would therefore have a place 
between these dates, and if the in diction can be relied on, it 
would fix the year at a.d. 938, the same date which is assigned 
by Mr. Kemble, and perhaps for the same reason, to No. 370. 
But it will not be necessary for us to consider the authen- 
ticity of this document, for, if authentic, it would afford us 
no aid in our inquiry as to the site of Saint Petrock. The 
charter of King Eadred is cited (page 66), as containing a 
grant to the prior and canons of Bodmin, but this of iEthel- 
stan gives us no information where St. Petrock's monastery 
lay at the date of this grant. It is possible that this may be 
one of the documents seen by Leland. It may be observed, 
that it was not pleaded by the prior in the proceedings against 
him in the time of Edward I. ; nor recited in the charter of 
Henry III. 1 

1 It is briefly noticed by Wanley, in the second volume of Hickes' Thesaurus. 
It is there termed "Carta commentitia iEthelstani," with the further remark^ 
" Carta autem post Normannorum adventum a monachis conficta videtur." 



169 



No. XIII. 
Chronological Table. 



Advent of the Saxons in Britain under Hengist 
and Horsa 

Death, of Saint Patrick, who is stated to have 
visited Cornwall 

Arrival of the Gewissse or West Saxons in Britain 

Saint Petrock is said to have visited Cornwall 

Saint Augustine, the first Eoman missionary, lands 
in England, and iEthelberht, King of Kent, is 
shortly afterwards baptized 

Bishop Birinus arrives in England, and preaches 
to the West Saxons 

Cynegils, King of the West Saxons, baptized at 
Dorchester, and that see founded 

The see of Winchester founded 

The see of Sherborne founded 

The sees of Wilton, Wells, and Crediton, said to be 
founded 

The subjugation of Huwal or Howel, last King of 
Cornwall, by King iEthelstan 

2Ethel[geard], in the time of King Eadred, the 
earliest bishop named in the manumissions at 
Saint Petrock's, Bodmin 

iEthelstan the earliest personage to be found in 
the charters designated as a Cornish bishop . . 

Pillage of Saint Petrock's monastery by Danish 
pirates . / 

King iEthelred's grant to Ealdred, Bishop of 
Cornwall 

King Cnut's grant to Buruhwold, Bishop of Corn- 
wall . 

Lyving, Bishop of Cornwall, Crediton, and Wor- 
cester, dies, and Leofrick succeeds to the two 
first sees 

King Eadward's charter, uniting Cornwall and 
Devon into one diocese with the see at Exeter . 

The Norman Conquest 

Leofrick's death, and Osbearne succeeds to the see 
of Exeter 

The Domesday Survey completed 



A.D. 



449. 

457. 
495. 
518. 

597. 

634. 

\ 635. \ 



660. 
705-9. 



906. 



926. 



I 946-55. 

] 966. j 

981. 

994. 

1018. 

£l046. ( 

1050. 
1066. 

1071. 

* 1086. J" 



ATJTHOEITIES. 



Sax. Chron. 

Annal. Comb. 
Sax. Chron. 
Usher. 

Sax. Chron. 

Sax. Chron. 

Sax. Chron. 

Beda. Elor. 

of Wor. 

Flor. of Wor. 

Sax. Chron. 
Elor. of Wor. 

Bodl. MS. 
Appendix. 

Sax. Chron. 

SeeTable,p.32. 

Charter No. 
528, Codex 
Dip. 

Sax. Chron. 

See Appendix. 

See Appendix. 

Bodl. MS. 
Elor. of Wor. 

See Appendix. 



Bodl. MS. 

Sir H. Ellis's 
Introd. 



INDEX 



A. 

Adelhelm, B., 6, 8. 

Adelredus, B., 17. 

Adelstan. See iEthelstan, 

iEdoc's manumission, date of, 35, 

Mdred, B., 10, 47.' 

2Btfeah, B., 38. 

Mfeod, B., 56, 58. 

iElfgyth's manumission, 35. 

iElired, K., 7 ; sometimes written Aimed, 56 

.Elfric, B., 10, 11, 41. 

iElfrytha, 29 — her marriage, 34. 

^tnelfloed, 36. 

^thelgar, B., 55, 167. 

^thel[geard], B., 25, 54. 

^Ethelmar, D., 38. 

iEthelred, K., 10, 17 — his manumission, 36— grant to B. Ealdred, 14, 
76,80,119. 

^thelred, B., 35, 54. 

iEthelstan, K., appointed B. Conan, 15 — his supposed foundation of 
the Cornish see, 16 — grant of Newton Manor, 68 — Charter re- 
lating to the Crediton see, 79 — his gift of relics to Saint Peter's 
Monastery, 70, 115 — presence at Exeter, 117 — grant to Saint 
Petrock, 68, 167 — subjugation of Cornwall, 99. 

iEthelstan, Adelstan L, supposed first Cornish bishop, 6, 7, 8, 17 — 
his appointment disproved, 11, 13 — supposed, by Dr. Whitaker. 
a usurpation, 13 — rejected from the list, 13. 

iEthelstan II., Bishop of Cornwall, 14, 27, 54. 

iEthelweard's Chronicle, 41. 

yEthelweard, D., 35, 37, et seq. — date of his manumission, 42 — grant 
of lands to, 165. 

^thelwold, Duke, 29. 



172 * INDEX 

Aldestowe, 72. 

Aldhelm's letter to Gerontius, 100, 

Aldredus, Bishop of Cornwall, 17, 

Aldredus, Bishop of Worcester, grant to, 16(5. 

Alfwold, ^lfwold, B., 55, 56. 

Aluric, Alfric, B., 55, 58. 

Angelic hosts, division of, 122. 

Anglo-Saxons received Christianity from Rome, ix. 

Asser, B., 7, 145. 

Athelstan. See iEthelstan. 

Anlaf, K., 38. 

B. 

Beda, his Ecclesiastical History, 4. 

BeUs, 51, 137. 

Berian, Saint, 72, 109. 

Bernegus, B., 6, 8. 

Birinus, B., converted the West Saxons, ix. 

Bishops of Cornwall, list of, 54. 

Bishops of Crediton, 4 — list of, 55. 

Bishops, seven, appointment of, 6, 8 — tested by the charters, 145. 

Bodleian MS., 9, 96, 141 — must have been seen by William of Malmes- 

bury, 144 — tested by the charters, 145. 
Bodmin deemed place of the see, 59, 61 — Prior of proceeded against, 

66, 158 — held by Saint Petrock, 64 — mentioned in manumissions, 

67— derivation of, 69— Parish Church, 105. 
Bosmanna, 69. 
Brihwald, Brihtwoldus, 11. 
British Bishops to be reordained, 100. 
British Church not subject to the Pope, 101 — at variance with the 

Saxon Church, 100. 
Britons omitted to convert the Saxons, ix. 
Britwyn, B., 17. 
Buruhwold, Burhwold, Bishop of Cornwall, uncle of Lyving, 13 — his 

episcopacy, 35, 36 — not the last Bishop of Cornwall, 45, 54. 
Burwoldus, B., 17. 

C. 

Ccclling, 12, 87, 142. 

Camden, 4 — on the Cornish see, 59. 

Capella, 138 — meaning of, 52. 

Charters, Anglo-Saxon, their style, 121, 125 — not actually signed, 125. 



INDEX. 176 

Chenulf, B., 6, 8, 

Chorepiscopi, 44. 

Chess introduced by the Danes, 31. 

Cholsey, 42. 

Chronological Table, 169. 

Churls, 40. 

Cnut, K., grant to Bishop Buruhwold, 13, 80, 126 — gave the Cornish 

see to Bishop Lyving, 13. 
Coenuulf, K., 56. 
Codex Dipl. of Mr. Kemble, 21. 
Comoere, or Cemoere, B., 26, 54. 

Conan, Bishop of Cornwall, named by Leland, 15 — in the charters, 
but name variously spelt, 16, 17, 54 — perhaps a British bishop, 
100. 
Conanus, B. See Conan. 
Cornish Bishops, list of, 54. 

Cornish See, said to be created, a.d. 904, 1, 6 — disproved, 7-13 — 
see extinguished, a. d. 1050, x., 2, 82 — origin obscure, 96 — 
bishops of not named by early writers, 4 — place of, according to 
Camden and others, 59 — Leland, 92 — Mr. D. Gilbert, . 94 — re- 
moval from Bodmin to Saint Germans, 75 — a joint see at Saint 
Germans and Bodmin, 84 — no distinctive name, 86 — passed over 
in communication to the Pope, 97 — perhaps a British see, 98, 100 
— removed on account of pirates, 103 — bishop of, his position, 
104. 
Cornish tongue, 104, note. 
Cornvalge, 64. 

Corruinensian Church, 10, 11. 

Corvinensian see, 8 — not the Cornish but the Wilton, 10, 11. 
Cornwall, Eorls of, 33, 38. 
Cornwall, origin of the name, 6 1 . 
Cornwall, resistance to the English Church, 12, 100 — submitted to 

English rule, a.d. 926, 16, 99. 
Comwealas, or Cornish, 61. 
Courson's vocabulary, 104, 105, note. 
Crediton, manor of, 87. 

Crediton see endowed with three vills in Cornwall, 12, 87, 142 — Church 
of Holy Cross not the Cathedral Church, 79 — bishops of, 55 — 
charter to, 79, 161— when established, 96, 146. 
Cressy's statement regarding Bishop Ethelstan, 11. 
Cuddenbeake, 108. 
Cunan. See Conan. 



174 INDEX. 

D. 

Darton, 88. 
Denulph, B. a 7, 145. 

Devon see said to be first at Tawtou, 4— united with Cornwall, x, 2, 82, 

Domesday, Exeter copy, 64. 

Dornnonia, Domnania, used for Devon, 34, 60. 

Dorchester, 8 — transferred to Mercia, 6 — first see in West Saxony, ix, 

Dunstan, Archbishop, 14, 55. 



Eadgar and JElfrytha, story of, 29. 

Eadgar, K., his manumission, 43. 

Eadgytha, Queen, S2, S3, 130, 143. 

Eadmund, K., his manumission, 68. 

Eadnoth, B., 5 6. 

Eadred, K., his grant to Saint Petrock, 66. 

Eadulph, B., 6, S, 9, 12, 55, 56 — charter to, 161. 

Eadward the elder, King, appointment of seven bishops, 5, 6, 8, 144. 

Eadward the Martyr, King, his death, 33 — his charter, 165. 

Eadward the Confessor, King, terminated the Cornish see, 2 — his 

charter establishing the Exeter see, SI, 130. 
Eadwig, King of the Churls, 39, 40. 
Eaidred, B., 14, 54 — charter granted to, a.d. 994, 119. 
Ely Domesday, 65. 
Eorl, or Ealdorman, his duties, 28. 

Eorls of Cornwall, none mentioned in history before the conquest, 3S 
Eorls of Devon, table of, 151. 

Exeter Monastery founded, 117 — made the episcopal seat, 131. 
Exeter Parliament or Gemot, 117. 
Exeter see established, 2, 81, 130. 
Evle river, 62, 15 7. 



P. 

Florence of Worcester, date of his Chronicle, 4 — his account of the 
appointment of the seven bishops, 8 — mentions the union of the 
Devon S: Cornwall sees, 4 — omitted to name the Cornish Bishops, 4, 

Fomiosus (Pope), 5, 7, 141, 145. 

Erithestan, Eridestan, B., 6, 1, 8, 145. 



G. 

Gaimar's Chronicle, 30. 

Germans, Saint, Priory of, 15 — Lands in Domesday, S 9 — Church of, 106, 



INDEX, 175 

Germans, Saint, see of, 11, 19, 154 — bishops of, 15, 17 — a British 
see, 98. 

Germanus, Abbat, 36, 42. 

Germanus, Saint, grant to, by "King Cnut, 13, 81, 126. 

Gerontius, K., 100. 

Gestin, the bishop's steward, 94. 

Gewisi, or West Saxons, meaning of, viii, 6, 8. 

Gilbert, Mr. D., quotes the Bodleian MS. as poetry, 12 — on the en- 
dowment of the Crediton see, 12 — dissents from Dr.Whitaker, as 
to Saint Germans being the see, 92 — his edition of Mount Calvary, 
104. 

Godwine, B., 4 — his list of Cornish Bishops, 17. 

Godwine, Eorl, 51. 

Gospels, Bodmin Book of, 19. 

Guron, Saint, 69. 

H. 

Hardy, Mr., his edition of W. of Malmesbury's works, 8, 9. 
Harewood, where Duke iEthelwold is said to have been slain, 32. 
Harold, Eorl, 51. 
Hayle, 62. 
Haylemout, 72. 
Hegilmithe, 60, 62. 

Heylin, P., added Saint Petrock to the list of Cornish Bishops, 18. 
Hickes' Thesaurus, 168. 

Holecumbe, Manor of, 67, 73 — not given to the Exeter see, 90. 
Holy Cross, Church of, at Crediton not the Cathedral Church, 79. 
Hooker's Catalogue of Cornish Bishops, 18. 

Howel, Huwal, King of Cornwall, submitted to iEthelstan, 16— the 
last British prince in Cornwall, 99 — his death, 100. 



I. 

Ide, 51. 

Imprecations introduced into charters, 164. 
Inquisition, temp. Edw. III., 75, 154. 
Infangtheof, 77. 

K. 
Kyrtlingtune, 57. 



176 INDEX. 

L. 

Laffenack, 72. 

Landbert, 142. 

Landerhtun, 13, 81, 87, 83, 126. 

Landrake, 88. 

Landulph, 88. 

Landuuithan, 12, 87, 142. 

Lawhitton, 87. 

Leland, Ms notice of Saint Germans Priory, 15 — saw names of eleven 
Bishops pf Cornwall, 15, 17 — Ms authority for Bishop Conan, 16 
— his account of the Cornish see, 92. 

LeoY. (Pope), 7, 142. 

Leofrick, B., said to have given the Bodleian MS. to Exeter, 9 — first 
Bishop of Exeter, 45 — a Cornish Bishop, 48 — some account of 
him, 49 — his will or charter, 50, 54, 56, 136 — a favourite of 
King Ead ward, 104 — Ms installation at Exeter, 131, 143 — death, 
144. 

Liner River, 60. 

Liskeard— Lyscerruyt ,36. 

Lyving, B., Ms familiarity with King Cnut, 13, 45 — umted the Corn- 
wall and Devon sees, 13, 45, 47 — his death, 45, 49 — a Cornish 
Bishop, 48 — some account of him, 48, 54, 56 — the tMee sees the 
reward of Ms services, 104. 

M. 

Malmesbury, William of, date of Ms Chronicle, 4 — Ms authority for 

Bishop JEthelstan L, 6 — controverted, 7 — Ms text not corrupt, 8 

— derived from the Bodleian MS., 9, 144. 
Manumission of serfs at Saint Petrock, 20 — table of evidences derived 

therefrom, 24 — first published by Mr. Gilbert, 92 — evidence as to 

the place of the see, 93. 
Mankind created to supply the fallen angels, 122. 
Meen, Saint, 70. 
Monasteries subject to the bishop, 77. 

N. 

Nassington, 73. 

Newton Manor, granted by King Henry III., 66, 152 — the grant 

pleaded, 66, 15 S— the grant of, by King Eadred, 66, 152; by 

King /Ethelstan, 68, 167. 
Xewton Petrok, 67, 73 — did not pass to the Exeter see, 90. 



INDEX. 177 

. 0. 

Oliver. Dr., his Monad icon Exon., 44, 
Ordgar, Duke, 28— his death, 35, 
Ordulph, 29. 
Osbearne, B., 86. 

P. 

Padstow, supposed site of Saint Petrock's, 61, 71— origin of name, 71 

—fishery of, 73. 
Patrick, Saint, 18, 71. 
Pawton, 87. 

Peter, Saint, Monastery of, 50, 87, 115. 
Petherick (Little), 73. 
Petrock, Saint, 18 — Leland's account of him, 68, 69 — theft of his body, 

70— relics of, 70, 115. 
Petrockstowe, Saint, foundation of, 16 — site of, 61 — pillaged, e'5.- — its 

lands in Domesday, 64 — annexed to the Cornish see, 77. 
Pleigmundus, (Archb.) 6, 8. 
Polltun, 12, 87, 142. 
Pryce's Cornish Vocabulary, 104. 

R. 

Eamsbury see, 10, 11, 
Ramsey, 42. 
Ruydocus, B., 17. 

S. 
Salisbury see, 11. 

Saxons, West, crossed the Tamar, 5, 102. 
Serfdom, 20. 

Shebbear Hundred, 66, 152. 
Sherborne see, 1 1 . 
Sideman, B., 55, 57 — his death, 58. 
Sigeric, B., 10, 11. 

Signatures to the charters not written by the parties, 27, 125. 
Somner, W., 52. 
Spelman, Sir H., his opinion of the appointment of the seven bishops, 7 

— his account of it, 9. 
Stidio, B., 17. 
Stowe, how applied, 73. 
Sunnungnensian see, same as Oorvinensian, 11. 



178 INDEX, 

T. 

Tarton Down, 88. 

Tau Eiver. 29. 

Tawton said to be the Devonshire see, 4. 

Tauistok, 29, 42, 47, 48. 

Tinieltun, 81, 87, 88, 126. 

Tinyell, Tinnel, 88. 

Toppeshame, 50, 167. 

Tref. the same as tre, 166 



Uuignoth, B., 5 



U. 



w 



Wallingford, 42. 

Wanley,H., 68, 168. 

Warewell, 32. 

Warlewist, B., 90. 

Wencenethel's manumission, date of, 35. 

Werstan,B., 68. 

West-Welsh, or Cornish, submitted to King iEthelstan, 16, 99. 

Whitaker, Dr., supposes Bishop iEthelstan's appointment by King 
Eadward a usurpation, 13 — his note of Leland's date for the 
foundation of Petrockstowe, 16 — enumerates the British bishops, 
18 — his Cathedral of Cornwall, 59. 

Whorwell, Hants, 32. 

Wilton, or Wiltshire see, 10. 

Winchester see divided about a.d. 908-9, 7, 145. 146. 

Wolfi, B., 17 — perhaps the same as Wulsie, 28. 

Wolocus, B., 17. 

Worcester, see of, 46, 47. 

Worcester, William of, 105. 

Woronus, B., 17. 

Wulfsige, or Widsie, B., 26, 54. 

Z. 

Zcubs" (Jh'ammatka Celllca. 104. 



LO.NDO.N ; i . PlCKTON., PBlJNTJiB, PjSBBl'S PLACK, 29, OxrOKD SIB££I, 



ERRATA, 

Page 5, note, for jucunduuij read jocundiun. 

— 6, line 20, for this, read his. 

— note 2, /or Cantuaria, read Cantuaria?. 

— 11, note, third line from bottom, for Sunnengensian, read 

Sunnungnensian. 

— 24, line 2, for Petrociensis, read Petrocenais. 

— 27^ note 1, for filiam, read filiam. 

— 42, line 8, for Ramsay, read Ramsey. 

— 123, line 8 from bottom, for Pretrocus, read Petrocus, 



jo j 









